Canadians breathe some of world's cleanest air: WHO countries, thousands, database, country

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Canadians breathe some of world's cleanest air: WHO

A new World Health Organization database on air quality places Canada as one of the world's top nations when it comes to clean air, but an expert says that despite this country's high scores, the air Canadians breathe will still cause health issues for thousands of people.


On Monday, the international public health authority launched its first Air Quality database, which covers almost 1,100 cities in 91 countries, revealing the world's "hot spots" for air pollution as well as regions with the highest health burden due to poor air quality.


Data on particulate matter, a kind of air pollution that results in particles floating in the air, were compiled from national records, websites and scientific articles to create the database.


Compared to 90 other countries, Canada tied for third with Australia following Estonia and Mauritius in a ranking that looked at how many air pollutant particles were recorded in a cubic metre of air in each country.


"Canada did indeed score very well, which shows Canada has been taking good action over the years," said Annette Pruss-Ustun, a scientist in the WHO's public health and environment department.


However, Pruss-Ustun said even the smallest amounts of particulate matter in the air can affect someone's health.


The WHO estimates that 1.3 million people — with more than half of them in developing countries — die every year from outdoor air pollution.


The effects of air pollution range from an increased risk of acute respiratory disease, such as pneumonia, to chronic conditions, such as lung cancer. Air pollution can also trigger cardiovascular disease in some.


About 2,400 people die every year in Canada as a result of air pollution, Pruss-Ustun said.

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Canada's biggest city, Toronto, recorded 7.9 PM2.5 in the air

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Other world hubs' rankings included: Beijing at 121 PM10 per cubic metre; Delhi at 198; Tokyo at only 23; and Paris at 38, based on annual mean results.


The findings should encourage countries to take action, such as investing in public transit to reduce car usage and promoting physical activity, both of which should increase the health of citizens, Pruss-Ustun said.


Most outdoor air pollution is man-made, coming from sources such as fumes from cars, furnaces and wood stoves, emissions from factories and smoke stacks in coal-fired power plants.


If countries reduced their annual concentration of PM10 from 70 to 20 microns per cubic-metre, the WHO estimates that 15 per cent of deaths stemming from air pollution would be stopped and life expectancy would increase in populations.


With files from Jordan Press, Postmedia News


[email protected]

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"There might still be people who are sensitive (and) whose health might be impacted," she said.


The database looked at two sizes of particles — those that had a diameter of less than 2.5 microns (or PM2.5) and their bigger, less hazardous counterparts, which were at least 10 micrometres large (PM10). The individual particles aren't visible — a 10-micrometre-wide particle is easily 50 to 100 times thinner than a strand of human hair.


In Canada, there was an annual average of 13 micrograms of PM10 particles per cubic metre of air while Estonia had 11 and the country with the most air pollution — Mongolia — had 279 large-sized particulates in a single cubic metre of air.


Sarnia, Ont., surrounded by factories in a region that also shares a border with Michigan, topped the Canadian list with the most particulate matter per cubic metre of air.


The southwestern Ontario city documented 12.7 micrograms of PM2.5 particles per cubic metre of air, which was on par with population-dense New York and was just 0.4 fewer than Madrid and foggy London.


Montreal, with 11.2 PM2.5 and Windsor, at 10.1, trailed Sarnia while Canada's biggest city, Toronto, recorded 7.9 PM2.5 in the air. The bustling concrete jungle had almost twice as much air pollution as Metro Vancouver.


Still, the Canadian rankings were impressive: the country held nine of the 10 slots of the cities with the least particulate matter polluting the air with Whitehorse, Nanaimo, B.C., and Fredericton, on the list.