Air pollution will be responsible for the deaths of 21,000 Canadians this year, according to a new study by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA). These numbers include 2,500 who will die as a result of "acute, short-term exposure."
In a new report, titled "No Breathing Room: National Illness Costs of Air Pollution," the CMA predicts that by 2031 about 710,000 Canadians will die from long-term exposure to air pollution, while the number of deaths from intense, short-term exposure will reach 90,000.
Referring to recent stories about the poor air quality in Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games, CMA president Brian Day said, "We've all been hearing about China's problems, but that makes it too easy to ignore the fact that we have a serious home-grown problem of our own and will all pay a price if we ignore it."
Other predictions from the study included 620,000 air-pollution related doctors visits this year; increased risk for Ontario and Quebec residents; and a vast majority of the deaths will be among Canadians over the age of 65.
"Essentially we've provided a roadmap for policy-makers about where we stand in terms of air quality, and they can choose one of two routes: act now to improve air quality, or reap the consequences by failing to do so," said Day. "With this report we're going on record and saying that those consequences will be severe."
