Air pollution kills estimated 5,900 Canadians every year

Health Canada News Release: April 29, 2005

Air pollution kills estimated 5,900 Canadians every year

OTTAWA - Health Canada today released an updated estimate of the number of deaths that can be attributed to air pollution. Based on data from eight Canadian cities, the estimate is 5,900 deaths per year.

The number is slightly higher than the previous estimate of 5,000, which was in effect until 2002 when scientists at Health Canada and JohnsHopkinsUniversity in the U.S. discovered a statistical glitch in the model used to calculate such figures.

Health Canada conducted health studies and used complex statistical models to derive the estimate, which was based on air pollution and mortality data from Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, Windsor, Calgary and Vancouver.

Health Canada 's science serves as a basis for strategies that aim to improve air quality, such as the Canada-U.S. Border Air Quality Strategy and Canada 's Clean Air Agenda. The science also informs the Canadian public about actions they can take to reduce air pollution and their risk of being negatively affected.

The Government of Canada's Clean Air Agenda commits money and resources for government, industry and communities to work together to improve air quality by addressing the following aspects: transportation, industry, transboundary pollution, monitoring and reporting, scientific research and public outreach.

For more information, please visit:

• Health and Air Quality
• Environment Canada: Clean Air
• It's Your Health
• November 2004 news release entitled: Government of Canada funds air quality studies in Great Lakes Basin
• Canada-United States Border Air Quality Strategy

For information on the Government of Canada's Clean Air Agenda, please visit:

• http://www.ec.gc.ca/air/being_done_e.html

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Lung Association information on air quality