The World Health Organization estimates that 4.2 million deaths occur globally every year occur as a result of exposure to outdoor air pollution, with the Government of Canada estimating that 15,300 premature deaths per year in Canada are linked to air pollution from fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ozone. Of these, Health Canada estimates that air pollution contributes to 6,600 premature deaths in Ontario alone; equivalent to 42 premature deaths per 100,000 Canadians. Health Canada has released numerous reports on the negative health impacts of air pollution. For further information, here you can access their 2021 report Health Impacts of Air Pollution in Canada.
In 2021 we held two webinars looking at the results of our air quality data collection campaign in collaboration with Sierra Club Canada.
The first of these featured prominent researcher and University of Toronto professor Dr. Greg Evans, whose research focuses on air pollution and understanding its impacts on human health and the environment.
The second featured Dr. Errol Thomson, a Research Scientist with Health Canada and Adjunct Professor at the University of Ottawa, who provided an overview of ongoing research efforts into the health effects of air pollution, including the widespread nature of effects, how pollutant composition (and hence source) matters, and factors that contribute to vulnerability.