Windsor, Ontario air quality improves slightly, but still not impressive

Saturday, May 04, 2013 by: Antonia
Tags: air quality, Windsor, Canada

(NaturalNews) According to a report released by the Ontario Environment Ministry, the quality of the air Windsorites in Ontario breathe in has improved. But in terms of pollutants and smog-causing ozone that affect human health, Windsor is still among the worst in the province.

Some are optimistic about the direction the air quality is going in for Windsor, Ontario, but agree there is significant room for improvement.

"The trends continue to look good overall," said Derek Coronado of the Citizens Environment Alliance. "But some of the numbers are not a surprise. It's unfortunate and not good news for people's health. We are seeing some improvements, but there is still a long way to go."

Air monitoring equipment was placed in dozens of cities throughout Ontario, and the report reflected results from 2011 data. According to the data, Windsor has improved by 11 percent in terms of the average levels of ozone.

For levels of fine particulate matter, which can be most damaging because of its ability to penetrate deep into lungs and the body, Windsor ranked the worst in the province.

High pollution levels can be attributed to the high traffic at the Windsor-Detroit border, that sees many transport trucks through most hours of each day. Some of the pollution may also be attributed to where Windsor is on the map.

"A lot of the problems are due to our meteorological and geographical location," Coronado said. "We are downwind. There are only certain things we can do locally (to improve air quality).

"That's why it's so important that federal and provincial governments continue to work with their counterparts in the U.S. on improving air quality. There are many mentions in the report of (problems) being transboundary issues."

Continued improvement across the province

It's not all bad though and things are looking up for the province and the city.

"The trends are improving, we are continuing to see air quality in Ontario improve and that includes Windsor," said Kate Jordan, spokeswoman for the Environment Ministry. "There have been reductions in contaminants, particulate matter and nitrous oxide."

Closing all coal-fired power plants in Ontario before 2015, tighter vehicle emission and fuel standards, and continued success with the province's Drive Clean program should continue the positive trend.

Sources for this article include:

windsorstar.com

www.ene.gov.on.ca

airqualityontario.com

About the author:
A science enthusiast with a keen interest in health nutrition, Antonia has been intensely researching various dieting routines for several years now, weighing their highs and their lows, to bring readers the most interesting info and news in the field. While she is very excited about a high raw diet, she likes to keep a fair and balanced approach towards non-raw methods of food preparation as well. >>> Click here to see more by Antonia