Ambient Levels of Air Pollutants

Smog is one of the most important air quality issues in Canada. Often appearing as a haze in the air, smog is a mixture of gaseous pollutants such as ground-level ozone (O3) and minute solid and liquid particles, called fine particulate matter (PM2.5). These air pollutants, even at low concentrations, have been linked to a number of adverse effects on health.

The air quality indicators focus on reporting the concentration of PM2.5, O3, sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and volatile organic compounds (VOC). The levels of these pollutants in outdoor air are influenced by many factors such as local emissions sources, weather conditions and the transport of air pollutants over long distances.

The air quality indicators are calculated using data from the National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) program, a cooperative arrangement among the federal government and provincial, territorial and municipal partners, and from the Canadian Air and Precipitation Monitoring Network (CAPMoN), operated by Environment Canada.

Details on ambient levels of air pollutants

Ambient levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5)

Ambient levels of ground-level ozone (O3)

Ambient levels of sulphur dioxide (SO2)

Ambient levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2)

Ambient levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC)