Toronto has set a new record for the most smog alert days in one year.
As of yesterday, 21 days have been blighted by smog, one more than the 2001 record. But how smog is measured has changed since 2001, with fine particulate matter added as a pollutant in the daily measurement of air-quality index.
Fine particulate matter includes aerosol, smoke, ash, dust or pollen that measures less than 2.5 microns (the width of a human hair is about 100 microns). "It's very early in the season to have that many days," said John Steele, spokesman for the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, adding that yesterday's sixth straight alert broke the 2001 record of five.
"If we don't turn this thing around fairly soon, scientists are starting to predict that we're going to be on the tipping point of a global disaster," said Rob Maxwell, acting executive director of the Toronto Atmospheric Fund, a city agency which funds smog-reducing initiatives.
Smog alerts are usually reserved for summer days when warmer air blows up from the south. Whereas winds from the north are cleaner, southern air brings sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and fine particulates from coal-fired generating plants in the United States, adding to the local pollution. Adding sunlight produces a photochemical reaction that turns nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds into ozone, a major component of smog that damages plant and animal tissue.
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On alert for smog
The Ministry of the Environment issues an alert when air pollution is at a level that stresses the respiratory system and exacerbates a host of ailments including heart disease diabetes, asthma, emphysema and bronchitis. Seniors, children, pregnant women, people with allergies, smokers and people who work outdoors are most at risk during
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| 1993 | 1 |
| 1994 | 5 |
| 1995 | 10 |
| 1996 | 3 |
| 1997 | 5 |
| 1998 | 7 |
| 1999 | 9 |
| 2000 | 3 |
| 2001 | 20 |
| 2002 | 18 |
| 2003 | 12 |
| 2004 | 14 |
| 2005 | 21* |
SOURCE: ONTARIO MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT