Heat and smog kill thousands in Canada: study

CTV ^ | June 6th 2005 | CTV.ca News Staff

[M. Espinola]

A new study shows the combined impact of extreme hot and cold temperatures and air pollution is killing thousands of people a year in four Canadian cities.

"A much higher proportion of elevated mortality was associated with air pollution (80 per cent) compared with extreme temperatures (20 per cent)," the study says, released by Toronto's Medical Officer of Health Dr. David McKeown.

"This study confirms the significance of air pollution as a major risk factor leading to premature mortality, in large part because air pollution is a year-round phenomenon."

In Montréal, an annual average of 1,082 premature deaths is attributed to extreme temperature and air pollution.

Smog in Montréal

Toronto had the second highest number of deaths, with an annual average of 1,047 deaths attributed to extreme temperature and air pollution.

The study was released Monday, which also marked the first day of the year that the city issued a heat alert.

In Ottawa, an annual average of 463 premature deaths is attributed to extreme temperature and air pollution. In Windsor, the annual average is 327 premature deaths.

Dr. McKeown called on the federal government to take action before the numbers continued to climb.

"This study confirms the significance of air pollution as a major risk factor leading to early deaths. And extreme heat is very serious because with global warming, premature mortality will increase unless steps are taken to protect at-risk populations."

The report to the Board of Health recommends the creation of a national heat warning system "to implement appropriate heat response protocols to protect vulnerable populations during extreme heat events."

According to the researchers, Toronto was the first Canadian city to implement such a system in 2000; followed by Montréal.

Heat-related mortality will more than double by 2050 and triple by 2080, according to projections made by the researchers.

Air-pollution-related mortality is also expected to increase across all four cities.

"In Toronto, it would increase by about 20 per cent by 2050 and about 25 per cent by 2080, in large part because of increases in ozone-associated elevated mortality," the study says.

The findings of the study are based on 46 years of mortality and weather data, and 25 years of air pollution data for five common air pollutants (ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and coefficient of haze as a measure of particulate matter).

graphics added

[Mears]

Must be French Canadians-----the French don't know how to take care of folks in severe heat either.

[theDentist]

I believe they forgot to blame Bush.

[M. Espinola]

I am not French and can't take the heat & humidity either :)

[handy old one]

Your attention please all nonessential persons to leave all large cities on the whole earth and let the essential people do their job and live longer they are need more than you are. Sarc off!!

[DTogo]

Humans or bats??:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1417531/posts

[sofaman]

Smog? In Canada? How on earth are they going to blame the US for this?

[garyhope]

Don't be silly, it's our SUV's, Hummer's and pick up trucks, most of which are owned by the Bush family!

Oh, and all the hot air coming from the DU's, Howard Dead, Teddy, Hillary, Babs Streisand, Sean Penn, etc. You know, the usual suspects.

[garyhope]

Don't be silly, it's our SUV's, Hummer's and pick up trucks, most of which are owned by the Bush family!

Oh, and all the hot air coming from the DU's, Howard Dead, Teddy, Hillary, Babs Streisand, Sean Penn, etc. You know, the usual suspects.

[Mears]

I was referring to several summers ago when all the French folks died in a heat wave. The figures were astonishing.

[M. Espinola]

Just set the A/C lower.

[M. Espinola]

I recall that problem in France. The numbers of dead related to the heat were incredible. In southern France it is usually on the hot side.

[Normal4me]

They should all load up and go to Somalia. It was snowing there the other day.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I've seen it happen in Houston, at the start of every summer...lots of ozone and high temp and humidity is enough to push someone on the edge of a collapse into it. But I thought Toronto wouldn't be as extreme as Houston.

[goldstategop]

Yeah and the French were aghast at the idea of giving up a paid holiday to take care of the elderly.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[WakeUpAndVote]

Quanida blames us for everything.

It must be grizzly bear farts in Alaska that are doing it. You see, they eat salmon that spawn in US streams and lakes. Because of Bush's failed environmental policy and drilling in the Arctic, the salmon must be bad. The bear eats them and farts. This is why we have global warming and smog in Toronto.

[goldstategop]

Toronto's a temperate city by Canadian standards. Most of the year, its a great place and the winds blowing in from Lake Ontario help keep the weather smelling sweet.

(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)

[sofaman]

I see...all is now clear ('scuse the pun). Although....

I thought that it was cow farts. Or is it cow farts that are causing the depletion of the ozone layer?

Typical Canadian...always blaming someone else...or the dog.

[dufekin]

Houstonians are acclimated to intense heat, humidity, and dense haze. Canadians, by contrast, swelter and suffer in the heat and humidity of one wretched July day considered normal for Houston in January.

[WakeUpAndVote]

No, cow farts are from the US demand for beef. The cows have to eat to grow, fart in the process, therefore it is Bush's fault because we are all fat, dumb meat eaters.