Department of Environment
 
Environment
Index of the Quality of Air (IQUA)

New Brunswick's Department of Environment started issuing Canada's first "Index of the Quality of the Air" (IQUA) in Saint John in 1979. Several other provinces have since adopted it as a way of making air quality information quickly and easily available to the public.

The IQUA index expresses air quality on a scale from 0 to 125, rated as GOOD to VERY POOR. This value is calculated by measuring five common pollutants: sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), hydrogen sulphide (H2S), ozone (O3), and the coefficient of haze (COH), which is an estimate of visibility. These are measured continuously, 365 days per year, at monitoring stations at various locations in the province. Hourly, 8-hour and 24-hour averages are considered in the IQUA calculation, depending on the pollutant.

The index is based on the pollutant with the highest concentration. For example, at a station that measures more than one pollutant, if three pollutants are in the "good" range but a fourth is in the "fair" range, the index reported for that location would be "fair" and the relevant pollutant identified.

When the IQUA number is low (0 to 25), air quality is GOOD. In the range of 26 to 50, air quality is acceptable or FAIR.
  • Soil, water, vegetation, animals, visibility and personal comfort are not adversely affected.

  • A reading in the FAIR range alerts industry to be prepared to act to reduce emissions if air quality continues to decline.
In the range of 51 to 100, local air quality is considered POOR.
  • The Department of Environment will advise the local Public Health Office, and a Public Health Advisory will be issued.

  • The Department of Health and Wellness may provide additional advice to the public.

  • Persons with respiratory diseases or those who are particularly sensitive to air pollutants may experience some discomfort. (Very sensitive persons may feel discomfort at lower levels.)

  • The IQUA message from the Department of Environment includes information on actions taken by local industry to reduce emissions and may ask the public to take action as well.
IQUA Ratings
0 - 25 good
26 - 50 fair
51 - 100 poor
100 - 125 very poor

A rating of 100 or above would be extremely uncommon and would be described as VERY POOR.
  • If a VERY POOR reading were reached, there would be advice from the Department of Health and Wellness, and information or orders from the Department of Environment regarding emission reductions from industrial and other sources.
To make IQUA information available to as many people as possible, recorded messages are prepared by the New Brunswick Department of Environment and provided as part of Environment Canada's telephone weather forecast system. Messages are updated several times a day, and more often if air quality is poor.

Currently, the IQUA system covers southern New Brunswick, as there is a concentration of emissions present in that part of the province. For a recorded message, in Saint John call 636-4991; in Moncton, call 851-6610; in Fredericton, call 451-6001. IQUA updates are also available on the Internet at www1.gnb.ca/0355/0003/0000.asp.

Smog Advisories

Environment Canada and the New Brunswick Departments of Environment and Health and Wellness jointly issue Smog Advisories when air quality is expected to be poor due to high amounts of ground-level ozone, which is the main component of smog.

Ground-level ozone can affect human health, decrease crop yields, and cause some materials such as rubber and textiles to deteriorate over time. In New Brunswick, the smog "season" tends to run from May to October, with peak levels occurring in late afternoon and early evening on hot sunny days. While pollutants causing these smog episodes usually originate in the northern United States and central Canada, local automobile emissions and industrial emissions can add to the problem.

Smog Advisories encourage individuals to avoid excessive exposure, provide information about the effects of ground-level ozone on the environment and your health, and suggest measures everyone can take to improve the situation.

Smog Advisories can be heard during regular weather broadcasts on the radio. You can also access this information by calling your local Environment Canada weather office, listed in the blue pages of your telephone book. Currently the program operates from May to October.

For more information on smog, see the New Brunswick Department of Environment publication, Information About Smog in New Brunswick, available on our web site at www.gnb.ca/0009/0355/0002/0001-e.html, or visit Environment Canada's "Green Lane" at: http://www.ec.gc.ca/air/menu_e.shtml.
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