Who knew the air we breathe in could actually be bad for us?
The Ontario Medical Association predicts this year 83 residents in Grey County, and another 68 in Bruce will die prematurely.
And it’s all because of smog in the air.
Manager of Health Protection at the Grey-Bruce Health Unit Chris Munn says the numbers are a little surprising, considering we’re not a large city that has lots of air pollution, like Toronto or Hamilton.
He says poor air quality particularly affects people with pre-existing respiratory and cardiac conditions, as it puts extra, uneccessary stress on the body.
Munn says with cool air coming from the north this summer, we’ve been lucky to have not as many adverse days, so the numbers may actually go down.
But he says it’s important to find ways to reduce the amount of pollution we put into the air.
Munn says anti-idling by-laws are a good start.
He adds with everyone so concerned about climate change, some people are starting to realize that using the car less could mean savings on gas, but also has health benefits.
