Air Pollution in British Columbia - Health Effects

Health Effects

The health effects of air pollution vary with the size and characteristics of the exposed population, the specific pollutant or mix of pollutants and the concentration of pollutants, both in the short term and the long term. Children, the elderly, and people with pre-existing health problems are known to be especially vulnerable. Generally speaking, respiratory and cardiac effects are the most significant, but there is increasing evidence that air pollutants play a role in cancer and genetic mutations, some of which can be inherited. Cumulative and synergistic effects are hard to study: ethical concerns rule out some otherwise desirable experimental procedures, and multi-pollutant studies are complex and expensive, leaving these areas less well understood experimentally. Sometimes ecologic studies can contribute to our understanding of combined effects. In the early 1990s, the province commissioned Dr. Sverre Vedal, then a researcher at the University of British Columbia, to investigate air pollution in BC, and to assess and to rank its health impacts. Hereport concluded that particulate pollution was the gravest concern, estimating an annual toll of 82 deaths, among other consequences. As of late 2004, the province continues its long-term effort to control sources of particulates. The varying population and topography have given rise to different problems in different areas, necessitating differing approaches. Other important air pollutants are oxides of nitrogen and of sulphur, Volatile organic compounds of various kinds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins and furans. Exposure and health effects of these vary by area and sometimes by season. Recent air pollution research in Canada and other jurisdictions was summarized by Health Canada in October 2003 in its report Human Health Effects of Fine Particulate Matter, which has informed standards-setting deliberations of the CCME. Research in British Columbia has been ongoing since at least 1990 . The BC Lung Association has commissioned work in this field, including a 2003 analysis by Dr. David Bates and others, Health and Air Quality 2002—Phase 1. The second phase of this report will deal with health effects of fine particulates in northern BC communities, where biomass combustion is arguably the most important source. At the end of 2004, Perry Kendall, the Provincial Health Officer, released his annual report for 2003 titled Air Quality in British Columbia, A Public Health Perspective. It includes estimates of the health impact of air pollution in BC. He estimates that 71-110 deaths are attributable to air pollution. This figure excludes effects of indoor air pollution and environmental tobacco smoke exposure.