The New Air Quality Health Index:
How Air Pollution Affects Your Health Fact Sheet

Are you at risk?

No matter who you are, where you live or the state of your health, the quality of the air you breathe each day can affect you.

The World Health Organization recently estimated that 800,000 deaths per year worldwide--or 1.4% of all deaths--could be attributed to urban outdoor air pollution.  In Canada, scientific evidence based on data from eight Canadian cities shows that 5,900 deaths can be linked to air pollution every year.  Research also shows that poor air quality sends thousands more Canadians to hospital each year.

Every individual reacts differently to air pollution.  Children, the elderly and those with heart or lung disease are most sensitive to the adverse health effects of air pollution, but even Canadians who are relatively fit and healthy can experience symptoms when exercising or working outdoors if pollution levels are higher than usual.

The health effects of air pollution

Depending on the length of time you are exposed, your health status, your genetic background, and the concentration of pollutants, air pollution can:

• Make it harder to breathe
• Irritate your eyes, nose and throat
• Worsen chronic diseases such as bronchitis, emphysema and asthma
• Cause heart attacks, heart failure and other forms of heart disease due to constricted blood vessels, altered heart rates and rhythms, and blood clotting
• Lead to premature death

Negative health effects increase as air pollution worsens.  Studies show that even modest increases in air pollution can cause small but measurable increases in emergency room visits, hospital admissions and death.  

The health effects of air pollution can be illustrated using a pyramid, with the more serious and rare effects (such as death) at the peak and the milder but more common effects (such as difficulty breathing) at the base.  The pyramid shows that quality of life can be compromised by air pollution long before individuals show up in hospital waiting rooms.  As the severity of health  effects increases, the number of people affected decreases.

What you can do to protect your health

It's up to all of us to protect our health from the negative health effects of air pollution.  You can better protect yourself and those2007-09-05ndex on a regular basis.

The index assesses the impact of air pollution on your health, listing a number from 1 to 10+ to indicate the level of immediate health risk associated with local air quality. 

Occasionally, when the amount of air pollution is very high, that number may be above 10.   

The higher the number, the greater the risk and your need to take precautions. 

The index describes the level of health risk associated with these numbers as ‘low', ‘moderate', ‘high' or ‘very high', and suggests steps you can take to reduce your exposure. 

In addition to having current air quality health information, a forecast is provided  for the next day.

The index does not, however, measure the effects of odour, pollen, dust, heat or humidity on your health.

Using the index to protect your health

As the Air Quality Health Index program expands across Canada over the next four years, you will be able to access the web based index  to check the quality of outdoor air in your community before heading off to work or play.  And you can use the forecasts to plan your activities, whether over the next hour or the next day.

As seniors, parents of children with asthma, and people suffering from heart or lung disease, you can use the index to assess the immediate risk air pollution poses to your health and take steps to lessen that risk.

Even if you're relatively healthy, fit and active, you can consult the index to decide when and how much to exercise or work outdoors.

Level of Risk	Index Reading	What You Should Do
		At Risk Population	General Population
Low	1 - 3	Enjoy your usual outdoor activities. Follow your doctor's advice for exercise.	Ideal conditions for outdoor activities: sports, biking or walking.
Moderate	4 - 6	If you have heart or breathing problems and experience symptoms, consider reducing physical exertion outdoors or rescheduling activities to times when the index is lower. Follow your doctor's usual advice about managing your condition.	No need to modify your usual outdoor activities.
High	7-10	Children, the elderly and people with heart or breathing problems should reduce or reschedule physical exertion outdoors to periods when the index is lower, especially if you experience symptoms. Follow your doctor's usual advice about managing your condition.	Anyone experiencing discomfort such as coughing or throat irritation should consider reducing or rescheduling strenuous outdoor activities to periods when the index is lower.
Very High	Above 10	Children, the elderly and people with heart or breathing problems should avoid physical exertion outdoors. Follow your doctor's usual advice about managing your condition.	Everyone should consider reducing or rescheduling strenuous outdoor activities to periods when the index is lower, especially if you experience symptoms.