|
AIR
POLLUTION:
Volatile Organic
Compounds
Volatile
organic compounds,
in combination
with nitrogen
oxides, are responsible
for ground level
ozone and smog.
 Smog
has both health
and environmental
impacts. Although
healthy individuals
suffer eye irritation
and a decrease
in lung function
when exposed
to smog, people
with asthma or
other respiratory
problems suffer
disproportionately.
Decreased lung
function may
be accompanied
by coughing,
nausea, chest
pain and pulmonary
congestion. Children
are particularly
susceptible to
these problems.
As well, crops
such as wheat,
corn, soybeans
and tomatoes
are sensitive
to ground level
ozone.
Volatile
organic compounds
are produced
by vehicle emissions,
chemical manufacturing,
and the evaporation
of automotive
fuels, other
petroleum based
products and
chemical solvents.
Canada’s
OECD Ranking
Canada ranks
a dismal 25th
out of 26 OECD
nations in both
volatile organic
compound emissions
per capita and
total emissions
of volatile organic
compounds. Canada
produces 88.1
kg of volatile
organic compounds
per capita.
Only
Australians have
a worse record
of per capita
volatile organic
compound emissions
than Canadians.
Only the United
States produces
more total emissions
than Canada.
Efficiency
Canada produces
4.3 kilograms
of volatile organic
compound emissions
per $1000 US
of GDP, more
than any other
OECD nation except
Greece or Australia.
Again, Canada’s
economy is much
more pollution
intensive and,
consequently,
less efficient
than the majority
of our industrialized
competitors.
The
Trend
There is a silver
lining here,
in that Canada’s
performance is
improving. Since
1980, Canada’s
emissions of
volatile organic
compounds have
decreased by
4.1%. However,
according to
Environment Canada,
“concentrations
of ozone still
rise periodically
to unacceptably
high levels in
many localities.”10
Eleven
of the fifteen
other OECD nations
for whom trend
data are available
achieved larger
reductions in
volatile organic
compound emissions
during this period
than Canada.
go
to next indicator
|
