COVID-19 restrictions cut downtown Toronto pollution levels by almost half, researchers find - Action News
Home WebMail Wednesday, November 13, 2024, 05:35 AM | Calgary | 0.6°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
Toronto

COVID-19 restrictions cut downtown Toronto pollution levels by almost half, researchers find

University of Toronto researchers have found traffic pollution in the downtown core has dropped by almost half since the province instituted closures of schools and non-essential businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

U of T scientists analyzed concentrations of traffic pollutants after much of Toronto shut down

Air collected off College Street in Toronto showed reduced levels of traffic pollutants. (Lisa Xing/CBC)

Researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered a substantial reduction in pollution levels in the downtown core since the province announced measures to curb the the spread of COVID-19, including shuttering schools andnon-essential businesses.

"A pandemic is not a good thing," said Greg Evans, director of the Southern Ontario Centre for Atmospheric Aerosol Research (SOCAAR).

"But seeing the change ... gives us a better understanding of the many factors that contribute to poor air quality."

Preliminary data gathered by researchers shows traffic pollution is down. (CBC)

The SOCAAR team analyzed the concentration of dozens of pollutants from air pulleddirectly from a duct offCollege Street in downtown Toronto for 24 days before March 13 and 24 days after.

The preliminary results provided to CBC News showed levels of nitrogen oxides and ultrafine particles, both indicative of vehicle pollution, have sharply decreased, a findingconsistent with the reduction in traffic in the area.

"Both of them have dropped by about half," said Evans.

At this point, Evans says he isn't able to attach an exact percentage to the decreasebecause several factors affect the accuracy of that number, including the level of travel over March break and the onset of spring.

Evans says the data his team compiled is more specific and detailed than pollution data from satellite imagery, which gives a big-picture view.

"We can get a picture of what's going on right now at a given location."

It'stoo early to draw conclusions about the impact on carbon dioxide levels, according to Evans, because it's been in the airfor so long one molecule of carbon dioxide stays in the atmosphere for about 40 years, so a dropover just a few weeks "really doesn't make that much of a difference to overall levels."

As he collects more data, though, Evans said he may be able to draw more conclusions.

These ducts at the University of Toronto took in air for researchers to test. (Lisa Xing/CBC)

The findings don't come as a surprise to Evans, norto Heather Marshall, campaigns director at the Toronto Environmental Alliance.

But Marshall saysit's not necessarily good news to her.

"There's really no silver lining. We're facing a pandemic."

However, Marshall is hoping these figures will help inform government decisions and spending after the pandemic is over.

"We have to think about whether it's a bailout for the oil and gas sector, or an investment in other kinds of transportation that are zero emission or low emission."

Evans said the data he and his team continue to gather could help inform public-health policy as more research emerges about if and how air quality affectsCOVID-19 patients.