A group of local students have shared their findings on air quality in Milton — focusing on pollution from fine particulate matter known as PM 2.5 — and how the proposed CN intermodal hub could exacerbate the issue.
Ritvik Manicka, Jenay Khatri and Suraj Subrahmanyan conducted the study from late April to late May in collaboration with Environment Canada, York University and the University of Toronto, according to the group.
They shared their results during the Oct. 23 Halton regional meeting.
“Essentially, what we wanted to really do is kind of understand how PM 2.5 exists within… Milton,” they explained. To achieve this, they placed PM 2.5 sensors in both the northern and southern parts of the town — including near Hwy. 401, schools and construction sites — to compare local pollution levels with those reported by the Ontario Ministry of Health.
Their findings revealed that pollution levels along major arteries, particularly Thompson Road and Main Street, exceeded World Health Organization guidelines by significant margins — with levels averaging 62.5 per cent higher in the north and 52 per cent in the south.
“PM 2.5 is a particular concern because it has been shown to cause neurological ailments. It's been shown to increase the risk of asthma, especially in young people. It's also been shown to increase the development of lung cancer,” the Bishop Reding Catholic Secondary School students stated.
They cautioned that while the proposed terminal construction will occur close to the southwestern edge of Milton, PM 2.5 particles “can still be mobilized in the air,” leading to elevated levels throughout the area.
When questioned by Coun. Sameera Ali about how these pollutants might travel to other parts of Halton, the group said a strong southerly wind “will certainly impact other municipalities,” primarily Oakville and outer areas of Burlington.
“These PM 2.5 particles can be easily mobilized within the air, certainly within the lower atmosphere… especially in times with minimal sunlight, because they are unable to break down,” they said.
At the meeting, Mayor Gord Krantz underscored the health concerns by referencing an “unprecedented finding” from a federal environmental review panel: “The location of this truck-rail hub will cause significant effects on human health, and also concluded that no measures can avoid air quality and human health impacts,” Krantz said.