|
Clean Air Sudbury |
|
Download Our New Reports!! English Documents · Summary: Clearing the Air: Air Quality Trends in Sudbury (June 2009) · Pamphlet: Air Quality Trends in Sudbury (June 2009) · Technical Report - 86 pages (April 2009) French Documents · Synthèse: Du Changement dans L’air: Tendances de la qualité de l’air à Sudbury (Juin 2009) · Brochure: Tendences de la qualité de l’air à Sudbury (Juin 2009) (Sorry, the technical report is only available in English) If you have any questions or would like to comment on these reports, contact us. We will respond by email to all questions and comments and will also post the questions and answers on our website. Your name will not be associated with the question/comment.
|
|
It’s Good News and a Reason to Celebrate!
Sudbury’s air quality has improved considerably since the early days of our mining history. Our latest report summarizes air quality in Greater Sudbury from 1998 to 2007. Here are some highlights:
· Sulphur dioxide emissions from smelters have been reduced by 93% since 1960 · According to the Ministry of the Environment station on Ramsey Lake Road, air quality in Greater Sudbury was good or very good 94% of the time. · Sudbury’s current air quality is better than Toronto, Hamilton or Windsor and comparable to other cities in northern Ontario. · Air concentrations of metals, including nickel, copper and lead, decreased.
|
|
Questions and Answers
The following questions were received by Clean Air Sudbury related to our latest report. Our answers are provided. If you would like further information, please contact us.
1) Why don’t you summarize carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations?
Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. However, it is not considered an air pollutant because it is not directly harmful to human health by inhalation. It is also not measured at the air monitoring stations in Greater Sudbury. For these reasons, we did not summarize CO2 concentrations.
2) Comment: “I am amazed at statements about our air quality and viewing sites like the weathernetwork.com that report air quality as good when I can smell and taste the sulphur dioxide in the air in and around my home.”
While significant improvements have been realized in the past, the lastest results show continued improvements from 1998 to 2007, the years covered in the report. During the 1970s, 1980s and up to the early 1990s, there were up to 50 to 60 hours per year when concentrations of sulphur gases from the smelters were measured above the Ministry of the Environment 1 hour criterion. Since then, the measurements show that these events occur less than 7 times per year. So there are still times when sulphur gas from the smelters reaches ground level in the community, especially during the summer months. When this occurs, people can smell and taste the sulphur gases as you noted. However the results for the period 1998 to 2007 show that this happens less frequently and the levels are not as high as in the past.
The station that reports the air quality for Sudbury for the Weather Network is located on Ramsey Lake Road. This is the Ministry of the Environment Air Quality Index station that is used for smog forecasting.
3) Where are the air monitoring stations located in Greater Sudbury?
This map shows the station locations. There are 17 fixed sulphur dioxide monitoring stations (yellow circles) and 7 particulate matter monitoring stations (purple circles) located throughout the city. Click here to download a larger copy of this map.
|
|
4) Are there any comparative data for distant sites in NE Ontario that would be of use in studies of cancer? Is monitoring done in these areas? Are these data accessible?
The Ministry of the Environment runs provincial air quality index stations in four northern Ontario cities: North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay (and Sudbury). The information from these stations was used in our report to compare Sudbury’s air quality. All data collected from Ministry of the Environment air monitoring stations throughout the province can be obtained from their website at: http://www.airqualityontario.com/history/ |