Health impact assessment of air pollution in Canada: Recent findings on mortality, morbidity, and monetized costs

Abstract

Health Canada, in collaboration with Environment and Climate Change Canada, recently completed a health impact assessment (health burden analysis) that quantified the mortality, morbidity, and monetized costs attributed to air pollution from a comprehensive list of transportation, industry, and residential sectors. The assessment applied a modelling framework combining multi-pollutant emissions inventory with spatial allocation modelling, air quality modelling, followed by health burden modelling. Modelling was applied consistently across examined sectors and therefore has been able to identify key sectors influencing air quality and contributing to the air pollution health burden. Sector-attributed health impacts have been aggregated at multiple geographic scales, including national, provincial/territorial and, for the first time, at the air zone scale. The emphasis on sectors impacting health within air zones can better inform air quality management within Canada’s Air Quality Management System (AQMS). The recently published report for this project is titled “Health Impacts of Air Pollution from Transportation, Industry, and Residential Sources in Canada – Estimates of premature mortality and morbidity outcomes at national, provincial, territorial, and air zone levels” and is available online at https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.917507/publication.html.

Speakers

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Angelos T. Anastasopolos, PhD is a senior exposure scientist in the Air Sectors Assessment and Exposure Science Division with expertise in research study design and coordination, source apportionment modelling methods, health burden analysis, and exposure assessment for particulate matter and its components including PAHs. In addition, Dr. Anastasopolos is the Principal Investigator for source-focused exposure studies emphasizing transportation sources (marine, rail, on-road) and neighbourhood air quality impacts. Dr. Anastasopolos led the Sector Health Impacts Assessment project and is principal author of the Health Canada report.

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Mathieu Rouleau, MSc is a senior evaluator in the Air Sectors Assessment and Exposure Science Division of Health Canada. He has 15 years of experience investigating ambient air pollution and health burden linked to various sources, notably mobile sources (e.g. on-road vehicles, rail, marine transport). He has contributed to several health burden analyses for regulatory and non-regulatory scenarios and has authored several related reports. Mathieu also contributes to research projects linked to transportation and industrial sectors. Mathieu is a co-author of the Health Canada report.