TORONTO, (April 2, 2004) — The Ontario Ministry of the Environment has released results of a preliminary air quality study, which shows that air quality and pollution along the Huron Church corridor in Windsor, Ont. worsens as traffic and congestion leading up to the border increases.

The study used new state-of-the-art monitors to examine the levels of emissions from diesel engines — including particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) — on the Canadian side of the Ambassador Bridge at the Windsor/Detroit border crossing between the fall of 2002 and the spring and summer of 2003.

While the study found no significant increase in the concentration of VOCs and minimal particulate matter increases during normal traffic movement, it did record jumps during events when truck traffic was backed up along the Huron Church corridor — especially during instances when increased border scrutiny caused delays at the bridge crossing. At times, the particulates increased on the Air Quality Index by one complete level in the monitored area.

Increases in particulates above ambient conditions were measured at distances from a few metres to 300 metres from the roadway. The extent of the increased PMs was dependent upon traffic volume, length of delays, and meteorological conditions like wind direction and speed.

The ministry also acknowledged other possible influences at work other than diesel exhaust, possibly road dust or tire wear. It also referenced previous work that estimated as much as 90 per cent of Windsor’s smog problem may be related to trans-boundary air pollution.

“These emissions can have a larger impact as vehicles release their exhaust at street level,” the report stated. “Pedestrians and people living and working along the truck route are exposed to these emissions. As well, the “stop and go” traffic as in the case of lines of trucks waiting to cross the bridge are known to lead to the highest emission rates per vehicle.

“Low speed journeys are typified by frequent stops and starts, accelerations and decelerations in response to traffic congestion or other disruptions of a vehicle’s progress.”

The Ontario Trucking Association quickly weighed in on the study, calling the conclusions “a wake up call for federal, provincial, and municipal politicians to get on with meaningful improvements to smooth traffic along the approach to the country’s busiest border crossing.”

In the meantime, OTA president David Bradley said, the trucking industry is abiding by tough diesel engine emission standards mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2002. Truckers are also preparing for an even stricter round on regs in 2007 — which have been said to virtually eliminate NOx from engine emissions.

The Ministry of Environment is working on extending the study into a full-scale project, which will expand the geographical range of the study, and allow the ministry to examine results for a wide variety of different weather and traffic patterns.

The preliminary report can be viewed at www.ene.gov.on.ca.