Air quality improving in Hamilton Cars biggest polluters
Emma Reilly
The Hamilton Spectator
(Jun 16, 2010) Breathe deeply. Hamilton's air is cleaner than you think.
Over the past 10 years, the city's air quality has improved dramatically, according to a report from Clean Air Hamilton presented to council members yesterday. In fact, it's been steadily getting better since monitoring began in the 1970s.
"There's no question we're better than we've ever been," said Brian McCarry, a McMaster University chemistry professor and chairperson of Clean Air Hamilton.
"Back in the 1960s -- 40, 50 years ago -- the air was much, much worse."
Major pollutants, like nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide, have all gone down 35 to 50 per cent in the past decade. Last year, the weather and recessionary business slowdowns also contributed to the overall decline in air pollution.
Though most people in Hamilton think the city's air pollution comes from industry, McCarry said, the majority of the problem is caused by cars and trucks.
Since cars have become much cleaner over the past few decades -- and residents are making increased efforts to get out of their cars more often -- decreased vehicle emissions are one of the main reasons Hamilton's air has gotten better.
"Industrial emissions are also going down, but they tend to go in jumps and starts," McCarry explained.
The air quality improvements are so significant that even the air quality around the Red Hill Valley Parkway -- initially expected to get much worse once the highway opened -- has improved from pre-construction levels.
"Frankly, this is a bit of a shocker," said Denis Corr, a consultant who prepared the city's Red Hill report.
The only two days the Red Hill Valley Parkway exceeded the province's air quality standards over a six-month stretch were during a region-wide smog alert on Aug. 17 last year, and during the fire at the Archmill House woodworking factory in Ancaster last Aug. 25.
ereilly@thespec.com
905-526-2452
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