jennell ellis presentation to comox valley sustainability ... · health impacts well known •fine...

Improving Air Quality in the Comox Valley

Jennell Ellis

Presentation to Comox Valley Sustainability Forum

May 24, 2018

www.breathecleanair.ca

The problem is wood smoke

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Problem is well researched & documented

• Many studies here in last ten

years.

• Consistently one of the

worst of 13 communities in

Georgia Strait Air Shed.

• We continually fail to meet

Canadian air quality

standards

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Maps and research on

breathecleanair.ca

Health Impacts well known

• Fine Particulate Matter

(PM2.5) is considered

the air pollutant of

greatest concern to

human health in B.C. (BC Healthlink)

• “No safe level of

exposure” (Medical Health

Officers)

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Fine particulates

Benzene

Dioxins

Furans

Nitrogen oxides

Formaldehyde

Acetaldehyde

Acrolein

Polycyclic Aromatic

Hydrocarbons (PAHs).

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Wood smoke contains same toxins found

in cigarette smoke:

Health: Wood smoke is second hand smoke

Wood smoke has been found to be 30

times more potent than cigarette smoke in

a tumour induction study.

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Environment: Not climate change friendly

People’s lives being impacted

• Physical health is being impacted

(asthma, risk of heart attack, eye

allergy, bronchitis, visits to

emergency)

• Paying money for buying and

running air purifiers, medications,

time off of work.

• People are moving away.

• Others “Would never have

moved here if I had known”.

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Personal impacts cont’d

• Can’t use own backyards

• Smell smoke inside house and car

• Limiting outdoor activities like walking, running and biking. Are

driving kids to school because of smoke.

• People with existing conditions feel trapped and isolated in their

home

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SOLUTIONS:

What can local

governments do to

clean up our air?

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Step 1. Acknowledge we have a problem.

Step 2. Adopt a vision of having clean air, year round.

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From this: To this:

Vision of cleaner air = Vision of less wood smoke.

Education Incentives Regulation & Enforcement

Individual Change

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Implementing vision of clean air

requires multi-pronged approach

=

Very important

Update OCPs and Strategies • Most plans and strategies done before most research done

and main monitor installed.

• Some Official Community Plans talk about “maintaining

excellent air quality.”

• Regional Growth Strategy mentions air quality only in

reference to transportation.

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Update Plans & Strategies

CV Sustainability Strategy (2010) mentions wood

smoke:

States wood heat is renewable and carbon neutral, and could be

encouraged in rural areas

acknowledges need to mitigate air pollution particularly in higher

density areas, e.g. requiring “clean burning units”. (by 2020)

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Are certified stoves a good solution?

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• Way more bang for public buck for cleaner options

• New wood stoves Emissions depend on how it is

operated. Need ongoing $ needed for:

education on burning

enforcement

Burning illegal fuels/garbage still possible

Stove in place for decades (degrades with time)

• Other heat sources = no additional effort or costs & guaranteed significant reductions.

• Many current stoves are already certified.

Local government regulatory tools

• Important to have approaches that address smoke at community

and property level.

Individual household level:

• Need bylaws that allow people protect themselves in their own

home and on their property. (e.g. nuisance bylaws)

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Possible Community-wide regulations

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• Type of stove that can be used (e.g. removal of uncertified stoves)

• Type and dryness of fuel being used

• Burning limitations – e.g. on bad air days, or in zones based on population

• No new installations in homes without stoves – need to stop increase

• Tax disincentives

Regulatory tool: Opacity rules

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Set limits on

amount of smoke

coming from a

chimney (after start

up)

No more yard fires

• Usually green and/or wet materials

• Releases huge amount of smoke,

impacts many people.

• Eliminate fees at dump for yard

waste

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Open burning

• Lobby BC government

to ban open burning

near communities

OR

• put own regulations

into place to ban these

burns.

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Change happens! Need a vision & leadership.

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Learn more:

Visit our website

Subscribe to e-

newsletter

Join Facebook Group

Email us at

info@breathecleanair.ca

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www.breathecleanair.ca

Facebook group: Breathe Clean Air Comox Valley

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www.breathecleanair.ca

Thank you! Questions?