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Your lung health

Air quality

The quality of the air we breathe, both indoors and out, plays a major role in our overall lung health. 

Outdoor air quality

Air pollution is a major public health concern. More than 7 million people around the world die each year from air pollution. Air pollution can occur anywhere. Some of the most common sources of outdoor air pollution include motor vehicles, fires and industrial facilities.

Pollutants of major public health concern include particulate matter, carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide. Both outdoor and indoor air pollution cause respiratory and other diseases, which can be fatal.

Climate change and lung health

Diesel emissions and electric school buses

Forest fires and lung health

How to protect your lungs on hot and humid days

Smog

 

Indoor air quality

On average, Canadians spend 90 percent of their time indoors. For this reason, our indoor air quality is an important health concern.

Everyone's health can be affected by indoor air quality problems. People with asthma, allergies or lung disease can be greatly affected by poor indoor air quality. Poor indoor air quality can affect development in children and has been linked to lung disease later in life.

A room-by-room tour of what you can do to improve air quality in your home

Self-assessment quiz for indoor air quality

One-hour projects for every season that will improve the air in your home