Regardless of the state of your health, air pollution is an environmental and health problem that affects the vast majority of Canadians.

Just because you cannot see it or smell it does not mean air pollution isn't a threat.

How air pollution affects your health is determined by the length of time you are exposed, your age, your health status and genetic makeup, and the concentration of pollutants in the air.

Air pollution impacts your respiratory system and your cardiovascular system by:

• Making it harder to breath
• Irritating your respiratory system and respiratory allergies
• Triggering episodes of asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD); chronic bronchitis and emphysema
• Triggering heart attacks, heart failure and strokes in people with cardiovascular diseases

Health effects increase as air pollution worsens and studies have shown that even modest increases in air pollution can cause small but measurable increases in emergency room visits, hospital admissions and death.

Each individual will react differently to air pollution. This is why it’s important to know.....

Are you at risk?

The economic cost of illness due to air pollution in Canada is $8.7 billion per year.