Air Pollution - Information Needs and the Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviour of Canadians - Final Report
6.0 Air Pollution And Health
The relationship between air pollution and human health is very complex and has been debated by scientists, advocates, governments, industry and individual citizens. Therefore, we sought to gain a deeper appreciation of Canadians' views and experiences in this area by investigating a number of different issues. In particular, we explored the extent to which Canadians feel that air pollution impacts the health of Canadians, including the specific effects it might have on human health and their perceptions of the health effects of indoor versus outdoor air pollution. We also asked Canadians if they felt that they suffered any health problems due to air pollution and if they had ever been diagnosed with a respiratory illness. In addition, we investigated their experience with health care professionals on the subject of air pollution and health.
A majority of Canadians believe that air pollution affects the health of Canadians a great deal. Respiratory and lung problems, asthma and cancer are seen as the most likely effects on human health.
It is clear that Canadians feel that air pollution affects the health of Canadians. A majority (53%) say that it affects health a great deal, while another 40 percent believe that air pollution "somewhat affects" the health of Canadians. Six percent say that air pollution does not affect health very much, while another one percent feel that it does not affect health at all. It seems that concern about possible health effects is higher than it was in October 2000, when more than eight in ten Canadians (84%) said it had a moderate or major effect and more than one in ten (14%) said it had only a mild effect.4
Men and women have very different views regarding the extent to which air pollution affects the health of Canadians. Overall, women place a much greater emphasis on the potential health effects of air pollution than do men. Six in ten women (60%) say that air pollution affects the health of Canadians a great deal, in comparison with more than four in ten men (45%) who make this same assessment. Men are more likely than women to say that air pollution only affects health somewhat (44% vs. 35%) or not very much (10% vs. 3%).
Francophones (58%) are more likely than anglophones (51%) to feel that air pollution greatly affects the health of Canadians. Those who feel the environment has the biggest impact on health (64%), those with a respiratory illness (62%), those who feel that air pollution in their community has become worse over the last five years (61%), those with an annual household income of less than $30,000 (60%) and those between 45 and 59 years of age (59%) are also more likely to believe that air pollution greatly affects the health of Canadians.
Q.5 In your view, to what extent does air pollution affect the health of Canadians? Does it affect them a great deal, somewhat, not very much or not at all? (n=1,213)
Residents of Manitoba and Saskatchewan (54%), Albertans (52%) and the most affluent (48%) are more tentative regarding the effects of air pollution on health and tend to suggest that it only affects health somewhat.
As Canadians' level of concern about air quality increases, so too does the likelihood that they assign a higher degree of influence on health to air pollution. Therefore, it appears that concern about air quality may be related to the perceived detrimental effects of air pollution on health.
A majority of Canadians (56%) provide various general comments about respiratory and lung problems when asked to identify the effects on human health that are most likely to occur as a result of air pollution. Nearly four in ten (37%) think that Canadians are likely to suffer from asthma as a result of air pollution. Cancer is seen as a possible consequence of air pollution by one-quarter of Canadians (24%). One in ten (11%) suggest that allergies are likely to occur as a result of this environmental problem. Other human health effects cited include general health problems (8%), bronchitis (6%), heart disease (5%), skin rashes and irritation (3%), death or a shorter life span (2%), fatigue or loss of concentration (2%) and new diseases or lessened resistance (2%). Seven percent identify a variety of other5 possible effects on human health. One percent suggest that no health effects are likely, while four percent offer no response.
Q.5 In your view, to what extent does air pollution affect the health of Canadians? Does it affect them a great deal, somewhat, not very much or not at all? (n=1,213)
Q.6 What specific effects on human health do you think are most likely to occur as a result of air pollution? Subsample: All respondents except those who believe it is not at all likely that air pollution affects the health of Canadians (n=1,204)
Multiple responses allowed
While women (41%) are more likely than men (32%) to identify asthma as a possible health effect due to air pollution, men (27%) are more likely than women (22%) to suggest that cancer is a possible human health effect.
Anglophones (63%) are much more likely than francophones (36%) to make general comments about respiratory or lung problems as being possible health effects of air pollution. Francophones assign greater emphasis to allergies (16% vs. 9%) and bronchitis (10% vs. 5%).
Canadians who are concerned about air quality (very concerned, 57%; somewhat concerned, 58%) and those who feel that the air pollution situation in their community has become worse in recent years (62%) are more likely than those who are not concerned about air quality (40%) and those who feel that air pollution has improved in their area (47%) to make general comments about respiratory or lung problems when asked to identify the effects on human health that are most likely to occur as a result of air pollution. Other groups who tend to make this same assessment include residents of British Columbia (70%), the most affluent (68%), those with at least some university education (65%), residents of Ontario (64%) and university graduates (62%).
Albertans (47%), those with at least some university education (44%), those with an annual household income between $50,000 and $70,000 (44%) and those who reside in communities with between 5,000 and 100,000 inhabitants (43%) are more likely to suggest that asthma is the most likely health problem to occur as a result of air pollution. Canadians with respiratory illnesses are more likely than those without such illnesses to say asthma is the most likely effect on human health (44% vs. 35%). Those with respiratory illnesses also place greater emphasis on allergies (17% vs. 10%).
It is interesting to note that those Canadians who feel that air pollution greatly affects health are the most likely to identify cancer as the most likely health outcome of air pollution. Those more concerned about air quality also have a greater propensity to make this same assessment.
The list of specific human health effects identified in the quantitative survey, and the emphasis on respiratory and lung problems, is very similar to that generated by participants in the focus group sessions that took place prior to the fielding of the questionnaire. Below, we provide a sampling of the discussion in the focus group sessions regarding the specific human health effects of air pollution:
“Yeah... I never had any problems there, but here I've had bronchitis, pneumonia, all sorts of things.”
“I work in a hospital ... the numbers of people that go to emergency with respiratory difficulties, my guess is that has increased dramatically in the last ten, 15 years for sure. Probably incrementally too.”
“The body needs oxygen, so if you just breath in air pollution, I think that definitely affects your performance as well as energy levels, concentration, just the ability to function normally.”
“I guess asthma is on the rise; that's where you can see asthma is on the r ise due to pollutants in the air, air quality.”
In addition, focus group participants in each of the three centres tended to identify children, the elderly and those people with respiratory problems as groups that are most susceptible to the effects of air pollution on their health.
Overall, one-quarter of Canadians currently suffer or have suffered from health problems that they feel were due to air pollution. Two in ten have been diagnosed with a respiratory illness. Asthma and bronchitis are the most prominent respiratory problems.
While three-quarters of the Canadian population (76%) report that they have not suffered (or do not suffer) any health problems that they feel were due to air pollution, a significant minority do suffer (or have suffered) from such health problems. Overall, one quarter of Canadians (24%) currently suffer (13%) or have suffered (11%) from health problems that they feel were caused by air pollution.
Ontarians (29%) are the most likely to report that they currently suffer or have suffered health problems due to air pollution. Given that Ontario tends to have higher levels of pollution than other regions of the country, it is not surprising that they would be more likely to assign some blame for any health problems to air pollution. Atlantic Canadians (18%), Quebecers (18%) and residents of Manitoba and Saskatchewan (18%) are less likely to make this connection between their health problems and air pollution.
Most Canadians with respiratory illnesses attribute their health problems to air pollution. Six in ten who have been diagnosed with a respiratory illness (61%) report that they currently suffer (39%) or have suffered (22%) from a health problem that was due to air pollution. Almost four in ten (38%) feel that they do not or have not suffered any health problems caused by air pollution.
Canadians who say that air pollution affects health a great deal (30%) and those who think that air pollution in their community has become worse (29%) are more likely to report that they currently suffer or have suffered health problems due to air pollution. Canadians who are not concerned about air quality (5%), those who feel that air pollution has little to no effect on health (13%) and those without respiratory illnesses (14%) are the least likely to say they currently suffer or have suffered any health problems that they attribute to air pollution.
Q.8 Do you personally suffer, or have you suffered, any health problems that you feel were due to air pollution? (n=1,213)
Two in ten Canadians (21%) say that a doctor has told them that they had a respiratory illness; eight in ten (79%) have not been diagnosed with such health problems.
Residents of Ontario (26%) and those Canadians who reside in communities with between 5,000 and 100,000 inhabitants (26%) are the most likely to indicate that they have been diagnosed with a respiratory illness. On the other hand, Quebecers (15%), those who feel that air pollution has little to no effect on health (15%) and those not concerned about air quality (12%) are the least likely to have received such a diagnosis. Women (24%) and anglophones (23%) are more likely than men (18%) and francophones (15%) to have been told by a doctor that they had a respiratory illness.
Respondents who have been diagnosed with a respiratory illness were asked which illness(es) they had been diagnosed with. Asthma (52%) and bronchitis (31%) are cited most often. Approximately one in ten each mention pneumonia (13%), general comments about respiratory or lung problems (11%) and allergies (10%). Sinus/nasal problems (5%) and emphysema (2%) are mentioned less frequently. Four percent identified a variety of other respiratory problems.
4 In the EKOS survey, respondents rated the health affect of air pollution on a 7-point scale, where a score of 1-3 was considered a mild affect, 4 a moderate affect, and 5-7 a major affect.
5 These "other" responses included food chain contamination, eye problems, reproductive or developmental problems, cold, flu, headaches, high blood pressure and multiple sclerosis
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