jennell ellis presentation to comox valley sustainability ... · health impacts well known •fine...
TRANSCRIPT
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
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www.breathecleanair.ca
Facebook group: Breathe Clean Air Comox Valley
