FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SEASONAL SMOG FORECAST AVAILABLE AGAIN THROUGHOUT THE MARITIMES

Halifax - May 4, 2001 -- Beginning this week, Environment Canada’s twice-a-day seasonal smog forecast is, once again, available throughout the Maritimes from now until the end of October as part of the Government of Canada’s commitment to provide clean air information to Canadians.

More than 5,000 Canadians die prematurely from air pollution related diseases each year. Environment Canada is developing a national program of smog forecasting to help vulnerable groups take precautions during peak smog periods.

Prevailing weather patterns and warmer summer temperatures can elevate smog levels. For some people, smog can be a powerful irritant, especially for the elderly, the very young and for those who suffer from cardiovascular or respiratory illness. Environment Canada’s Smog Forecast, which is issued twice daily, allows people to take predicted smog levels into account when planning their daily activities.

The Smog Forecast Program, which now operates across the Maritimes, began as a pilot project in Saint John, New Brunswick during the summer of 1997. The model developed for the pilot, which included ensuring that all the necessary partners participated in the program, has now become a model for similar programs in other provinces. Smog Forecast partners include provincial environment and health departments, as well as the provincial lung associations from the Maritime provinces and other partners concerned about clean air issues.

In addition, as part of the Government of Canada’s on-going effort to expand its role in providing clean air information to Canadians, Environment Canada’s Meteorological Service has partnered with provincial environment departments and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to gather and share air quality monitoring information. Environment Canada now transfers Canadian air quality data to the US EPA for inclusion into its ozone mapping program called AIRNOW, which provides near real-time ozone information on a web based program.

As a result, the US EPA’s AIRNOW program now includes air quality information in its mapping products from Ontario eastward. To visit the Web site, log onto http://www.epa.gov/airnow/canada

To obtain the latest Environment Canada Smog Forecast, visit our Web site at http://www.atl.ec.gc.ca/weather/ozone.html, or call Environment Canada’s local automated telephone answering service which can be found in your local telephone directory.