Activities Related to the Evaluation of Pollution
Most industrial activities, or activities associated with the transport of goods or people, emit pollutants to the atmosphere. As well as managing the National Air Pollution Surveillance Network through which the concentrations of several pollutants are measured, Environment Canada has set up various projects that evaluate pollution in Quebec in response to specific needs.
- Pine Needles as Pollution Indicators
- Pollution Measurements in the East end of Montreal
- Sampling Campaign – Residential Wood Heating
Pine Needles as Pollution Indicators
Norway pines have served as pollution sensors in a study to determine the sources of emissions of dioxins and furans that were found in the air in the city of Jonquière in 1998. This biomonitoring was carried out by sampling needles of pines planted in 13 different locations in order to analyze concentrations of dioxins and furans.
Pollution Measurements in the East end of Montreal
Air quality has been measured in the East end of Montreal since the creation of the National Air Pollution Surveillance Network. Therefore, we have been able to observe that the closure of several oil refineries, and the implementation of regulations or of codes of practice, enabled reduction in emissions from industry and automobiles and led to a general improvement in air quality. Moreover, a report looking into benzene in the East end of Montreal has shown that the situation with respect to this pollutant has improved between 1989 and 2000 in the city of Montreal.
The report on the issues related to benzene in the East end of Montreal is available on demand. To obtain a copy, please send your request by email to quebec.dpe@gc.ca.
Sampling Campaign – Residential Wood Heating
Residential wood heating has been identified as one of the major sources of air pollution in the Greater Montreal area. In the winter of 1999, Environment Canada, the Direction de la santé publique de Montréal and the Montreal Urban Community collaborated to measure air quality in a sector of the Rivière-des-Prairies area of Montreal, where wood heating is widespread. The results of this measurement campaign showed that wood heating does affect the quality of the air in this residential area. The measurements continued and, in 2000, the Ministère du Développement durable, de l’Environnement et des Parcs du Québec joined the project. The results obtained between 1999 and 2002 made it possible to compare the concentrations of several air pollutants in the residential area to those in downtown Montreal. They also enable seasonal variability to be evaluated.
The pollutants measured include fine particles (PM2,5), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), dioxins and furans, certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and metals.
For more information, you can consult the following documents:
- Residential Wood Heating: Summary of Results from 1999 to 2002
- The complete Residential wood combustion report 1999-2002 and the Residential wood combustion report 98-99 are available by sending emails to quebec.dpe@gc.ca, or by calling 1(800)463-4311.
