What’s New: Kingston’s average PM2.5 airborne particulate level for October dropped to 4.2 µg/m3 thanks to unusually-frequent northerly wind directions. That slightly reduced our 12-month average to 5.6 µg/m3, which is 12% higher than the evidence-based WHO limit of 5.0 µg/m3 and uncomfortably close to the threshold for rapidly increasing mortality (see the chart at the top of the Health impacts page). This is not a new problem, given that Kingston has exceeded the WHO limit in 46 of the past 58 months! If you’re not taking self-protective measures on days with high readings, you’re risking your health and that of your family. If you know others who you believe would benefit from more awareness of the reality of our air quality and how they could better protect their health, please share this link: https://kingstonairquality.ca.
by Ron Hartling
The purpose of this page is to raise awareness of the uncomfortable reality that, with respect to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), Kingston air quality is consistently worse than the World Health Organization (WHO) standard. The page gives practical advice on managing household exposure to health-damaging particulates. Updates are posted daily around 7 am. If you live elsewhere in Ontario, click on the “Links” menu item above and read the first entry for guidance on applying this site’s information to your situation. For ease of personal decision-making, overall daily risk levels are categorized by severity in this table.
Note that, while most Canadian and US sources define Risk Level 1 as airborne fine-particulate-matter (PM2.5) concentrations less than 12 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3), I employ “Level 0” to differentiate readings within the far more evidence-based, less politically-influenced WHO healthy zone. See the Health impacts page for clarification on the differences between short- and long-term exposure risks.
Commentary as of Saturday November 2 at 7:00 am
Current readings: Kingston’s PM2.5 hourly readings continued their steady improvement yesterday, dropping back into the comparatively healthy Level-0 range in the early morning and reaching a near-perfect 1 µg/m3 by mid-afternoon. That yielded a daily average of 2.7 µg/m3, way down from Thursday’s 7.7. Overnight readings were 1 and 2 µg/m3.
Forecast summary: Kingston readings will likely remain in the healthy Level-0 range today, overnight and tomorrow.
Detailed forecast: Environment Canada’s 24-hour forecast calls for continued northerly winds today, shifting to northeasterly and then easterly overnight. The overarching Jetstream, however, remains between westerly and southwesterly, which will continue to bring the more polluted US airmass shown in the AirNow map extracts below into the Great Lakes region.
Personal protective measures: No such measures will be required today or through the weekend.
While very positive for Eastern Ontario, this morning’s 5 am AirNow PM2.5 map extract for northeastern North America shows a renewed build-up of US Level-2 airborne particulate concentrations approaching the Great Lakes.
Summary of recent readings
This table summarizes and provides context for the most recent three weeks of Kingston PM2.5 readings. The key numbers are, of course, the daily averages because that’s what informs us how our recent exposures have contributed to or ameliorated whatever annual exposure to toxic PM2.5 particulates we are comfortable with or accepting of. For those who choose to lower their at-home exposure in order to better protect their and their households’ long-term health, the numbers provide important information on how much effort may be required to stay within their comfort level.
To facilitate that analysis, the table computes each day’s risk category (usually a mix of 0’s, 1’s and 2’s), 7- and 28-day running averages and medians. It also reports on the minimum and maximum reading for each day, as well as the number of hours that day during which Kingston PM2.5 readings may have exceeded either or both the World Health Organization’s recommended maximum and the seriously outdated and therefore misleading US/Canadian equivalent.
Tomorrow’s AirNow’s PM2.5 forecast map for Central and Eastern USA shows the massive US cloud of areas with Level 2 particulate concentrations again growing, starting to consolitation and encroaching on the Great Lakes.