Video of pollution in Prairies raises air quality concerns

Thursday, October 8, 2015, 2:55 PM - Scientists at Environment Canada created a computer-generated video that shows how industrial pollution spreads through the atmosphere across the Prairies.

The video was released Thursday by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and the Pembina Institute.

The footage represents how emissions from oil and gas sites, refineries and coal-burning power plants are dispersed in the air and can travel hundreds of kilometres downwind.

The bright yellow plumes depicted in the video above, is sulphur dioxide, a focus for scientists especially because in the Prairies these emissions are the only source that comes from industrial operations.

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"It kind of hits you in the gut when you see these videos because we knew that there's been this idea that the (sulphur dioxide) doesn't move very much and it doesn't affect big urban areas," Dr. Joe Vipond of Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment told CBC. "But as you see these plumes wafting across the landscape as the wind shifts direction, it's never coming from the same direction but overall it goes everywhere."

Airflow data was collected over the course of four weeks at a series of air-monitoring stations managed by the Alberta Environmental Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Agency.

"I think it really outlines the cumulative effects that are present from a large number of emission sources," Andrew Read, analyst with the Pembina Institute told CBC.

Other elements that affect air quality such as vehicle emissions or forest fires were not analyzed.

Air quality in Alberta was a hot debate a month ago when a report showed pollution levels in Red Deer surpassed national standards.

Emissions from coal-fired power plants is another of the sources seen in the video and Dr. Vipond is actively working to stop these plants in the province.

"In the populated areas, it's the coal-fired power plants that are really causing the disturbances," he told CBC.

Dr. Vipond pointed out there are 12 plants west of Edmonton and a few more south of the city.

"These coal plants have viable alternatives, they're not bringing any money into the government pockets and they're having incredible health impacts on Albertans."

Source: CBC