An Introduction to Tools Used in Air Quality Assessment

In March 2011, the British Columbia Lung Association held its 8th Annual Air Quality & Health Workshop in Vancouver. As a pre-meeting event, the NCCEH, in combination with the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) and the BC Lung Association, organized an air quality training workshop.

Workshop Objective

The objective of this training workshop was to increase the understanding and accessibility of specific air quality assessment tools for researchers, public health practitioners, and policy-makers to increase support for research, public health responses, and policy decisions concerning local air quality.

Specific assessment tools include:

• emissions inventories;
• dispersion modeling;
• source apportionment;
• mobile monitoring;
• land use regression.

Health impact assessment (HIA) was also discussed as a direct application of information provided by air quality assessment tools.

A guide based on this workshop has been developed: Air Quality Assessment Tools.

Workshop Program

The Air Quality & Health Workshop Program Book, including the pre-event meeting, is available.

Presentations:

• Health Impacts of Local Air Quality
  Michael Brauer, University of British Columbia
• Air Quality Management in BC
  Glen Okrainetz, BC Ministry of Environment
• BC’s Monitoring Network
  Natalie Suzuki and Ted Weick, BC Ministry of Environment
• Source Apportionment
  Mark Graham, BC Ministry of Environment
• Emissions Inventories
  Warren McCormick, BC Ministry of Environment
• Dispersion Modelling
  Peter Jackson, University of Northern British Columbia
• Mobile Monitoring
  Eleanor Setton, CAREX Canada and University of Victoria
• Land Use Regression
  Sarah Henderson, BCCDC
• Health Impact Assessment
  Christine Bender, Vancouver Island Health Authority