Air quality and health videos

An animated city intersection bustles with traffic.

Narrator: Vehicle traffic is a major source of air pollution, especially in urban areas, where there's a larger volume of vehicles that emit more pollutants.

Dark smoke wafts over the screen.

Narrator: Traffic-related air pollution, or TRAP, is composed of gases and particles that include many different chemicals that are emitted from cars, buses, and trucks that also contribute to smog.

Six icons appear, depicting the various gases and particles included in traffic-related air pollution: Nitrogen Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, Benzene, Black Carbon, Particulate Matter, and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons. Then, smoke plumes from a car's exhaust as it travels a roadway.

Narrator: Travelling in vehicles, working, or living near busy roads, and being outdoors near vehicle traffic can increase your exposure.

Four icons depict someone coughing, using a puffer, a child sneezing, and breathing lungs.

Narrator: Exposure to TRAP causes the development and worsening of asthma symptoms in children, and may cause the worsening of asthma symptoms in adults, can cause allergies, and likely reduces lung function.

Three icons depict black-spotted lungs, a beating heart, and blood cells.

Narrator: It has also been linked to negative health effects like lung cancer, heart disease, and childhood leukemia.

The sun shines over an electric car as it drives a roadway.

Narrator: The good news is that strict regulations have been introduced to decrease pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles through improved engine performance, emission control technologies, and cleaner fuels.

The hose on a gas pump transforms into a leafy branch. Then, dark smoke wafts over the screen.

Narrator: What is smog? Smog is a mixture of air pollutants, including gases and particles that are too small to see.

Text on Screen: Air Pollutants. Including ground-level ozone (O3) and particulate matter (PM).

Narrator: Smog can irritate your eyes, nose, and throat and worsen existing heart and lung problems. It can also increase the risk of premature death, including respiratory and cardiovascular disease, with frequent long-term exposure. The people most at risk from the health effects of smog are seniors and children.

Text on Screen: A Q H I. Air Quality Health Index.

Narrator: To reduce your exposure to air pollution, check the Air Quality Health Index, or AQHI, in your community and tailor your activities accordingly.

A coloured gauge indicates risk, with a gradient from light blue to dark red.

Narrator: You'll see a number beside your location and a numbered scale that illustrates your risk level from 1-10+ or low to high. The A Q H I also forecasts local air quality for today, tonight, and tomorrow, and is updated hourly so you can plan your days. You can use the A Q H I website or app to help you plan your day to stay healthy!

Logo: Health Canada. Santé Canada.

Text on Screen: Let's get particulate.

A graphic of a microphone is paired with headphones. Various other icons are dispersed around the text, including: the nose, lungs, and brain; structural formula diagrams for Nitrogen Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, Water, and Ozone; as well as symbols representing air flow and the formation of condensation. Next, a smiling cartoon man appears with orange hair and beard. A waveform vibrates below him as he speaks.

Host: Welcome to our podcast—today we're talking about some egregious elements and pesky particulates that can show up in our homes. First up is…

Mould Soundbite: Who called the fungi?

An icon depicts the formation of mould clusters.

Host: Mould often appears in damp and warm environments including kitchens, bathrooms and basements.

Icons depict an ear, nose, throat, and lungs with hazardous lightning bolts.

Host: By controlling the source of moisture and humidity levels, we often can reduce the chances of mould growing. Up next is radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas that comes from the ground and can flow into your home undetected. The only way to know if your home has a high level of radon is to test for it.

Radon Soundbite: Test it real good.

A Radon icon waves a test kit.

Host: Next up is Carbon Monoxide—it can take your breath away. Install at least one certified carbon monoxide alarm in your home, particularly in the hallway near bedrooms. Making sure your fuel-burning appliances, like your furnace, water heater, and fireplaces, are regularly maintained and inspected, keeping your chimneys clean, avoiding using outdoor gas powered equipment, like generators and barbecues, indoors, and avoiding idling of your car or gas powered equipment in your attached garage can help prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.

Carbon Monoxide Soundbite: C O you later!

An icon displays the molecular structure of Nitrogen Dioxide.

Nitrogen Dioxide Soundbite: Nitrogen Dioxide is my name and hanging out by indoor gas stoves, fireplaces, and attached garages is my game.

Icons depict Nitrogen Dioxide flowing out of a pipe, and lungs breathing with hazardous lightning bolts.

Host: Nitrogen Dioxide can be harmful to your health and exposure to it can decrease lung function, make asthma worse, and increase your risk of developing breathing problems. Proper ventilation, such as using your range hood fan when cooking, making sure fuel-burning appliances are vented to the outside, and avoiding idling your car or gas-powered equipment in your attached garage can help lower exposure!

An icon depicts harmful vapours streaming from the letters V O C.

Host: Next up is Volatile organic compounds—they're found in many products we use indoors.

V O C soundbite: You down with V O C. Yeah you know me.

Host: I think it's safe to say, we're not down with V O C. Reducing the use of products that contain V O Cs in our home and ensuring proper ventilation will help lessen the risk of health impacts from
V O Cs exposure.

A house rises from the grass, against a sunny blue sky. The house has a smiley face.

Host: Canadians spend approximately 90% of their time indoors, but the good news is there are many things we can do to improve the air we breathe indoors!

Icons appear below, depicting molecular diagrams for Water, Carbon Monoxide, and Nitrogen Dioxide. Radon and Volatile Organic Compounds also appear.

Text on Screen: Let's get particulate.

Various icons surround the text.

Logo: Health Canada. Santé Canada.

Text on Screen: Let's get particulate.

A graphic of a microphone is paired with headphones. Various other icons are dispersed around the text, including: the nose, lungs, and brain; structural formula diagrams for Nitrogen Dioxide, Carbon Monoxide, water, and Ozone; as well as symbols representing air flow and the formation of condensation. Next, a smiling cartoon man appears with orange hair and beard. A waveform vibrates below him as he speaks, against a background of cloud and sky.

Host: Hello! And welcome to our show, joining us on the podcast today is someone who's heard that airplanes may be emitting chemically laden emission trails.

A cartoon woman appears with long brown hair and glasses.

Caller: That's right—I've heard a lot of concerning things about chem trails.

Host: Okay, so tell us more about what you've heard about chem trails…

Caller: Well, I've heard things about mind control. Population control. Weather control.

Host: Tell us more…

An animated airplane leaves a long, white streak in its wake.

Caller: You know those white trails you see left behind when a plane passes overhead? I'm pretty sure those are chem trails. It seems like jet plane output should disappear quickly…which leaves me wondering if clouds that don't disappear are full of additional substances.

Host: Those white trails are commonly referred to as contrails.

Text on Screen: Chemtrails. Contrails.

The text, Chemtrails, is crossed out, and Contrails is underlined.

Host: Aircraft normally emit condensation trails that are created when hot jet engine exhaust mixes with cold air high in the atmosphere. So, imagine the way our breath or exhaust from a car engine becomes visible on cold days.

Caller: Hm, interesting. What else can you tell me?

Host: Okay, let's break it down a bit, contrails consist primarily of water and ice, so depending on the temperature and the amount of moisture in the air at the aircraft's altitude, contrails may or may not form. When conditions promote their formation, contrails either evaporate quickly or persist for long periods and expand.

A split screen shows an airplane with lasting contrails beside a low temperature thermometer and high moisture gauge. Another airplane's contrails dissipate beside a high temperature thermometer and low moisture gauge.

Caller: What I'm worried about persisting for long periods of time are the metals and chemicals I've heard are intentionally released into the atmosphere.

Host: Contrails don't result from the intentional release of chemicals such as metals, nor do they affect the quality of the air, water, or food. So, they don't pose a threat to you or your family's health.

The periodic table entry for Aluminum appears next to a contrail. Microscopic particles are labelled PM 2.5. Molecular diagrams for Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Dioxide, and Water are also displayed.

Caller: How do we know for sure?

Host: Well, the information about "chem trails" that's available on the internet doesn't meet the standards of credible science.

A laptop screen displays a search engine, then is crossed out with a red X.

Host: We recommend reading science-based info that's available through universities, governments, and other reputable organizations. Health Canada has found no credible evidence of anything but normal contrails coming from airplanes in Canadian skies.

Caller: I just think that extraordinary claims require…

Host: Extraordinary proof. Hey, why don't we link you to some resources in the show notes?

Caller: Hm. I'll give those a read. Thanks.

A family celebrates and waves Canadian flags among a crowd of people as three airplanes fly overhead.

Host: Of course. We really hope this interview has helped set your mind at ease that the trails you sometimes see in the sky above your home are the result of normal aircraft operations and don't pose a risk to your health.

Text on Screen: Let's get particulate.

Various icons surround the text.

Logo: Health Canada. Santé Canada.