Alberta Airsheds Council Releases 2022 Annual Air Quality Report

EDMONTON, AB, April 20, 2023 /CNW/ - Alberta Airsheds Council (AAC) released its 2022 Annual Air Quality Report today. The report features the work of Alberta's 10 Airsheds and provides air quality monitoring highlights for the year.

"By collaborating and working closely together, Alberta's 10 Airsheds are bringing the very best in air quality monitoring and reporting to Albertans," said Gary Redmond, co-chair of Alberta Airsheds Council. "Our current results indicate that the air Albertans are breathing is low risk the vast majority of the time; however, air quality challenges remain in many areas of the province.  Airsheds monitor air quality so that Albertans can continue to make informed choices for their health."

2022 Annual Air Quality Report: Highlights

• Alberta's Airsheds collect data to calculate the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI), a real-time air quality rating reported in 35 Alberta communities. The AQHI represents the relative risks of a combination of air pollutants known to harm human health including ozone, fine particulate matter, and nitrogen dioxide.
• In 2022, all Alberta continuous monitoring stations saw AQHI ratings in the low-risk range 88% to 99.5% of the time (low-risk is 1-3 on the AQHI rating scale).
• The provincial average AQHI rating was 2.2 on the 10-point AQHI scale (1 representing the lowest risk and 10 the highest risk).
• 334,017 hours of data were used to calculate the overall provincial AQHI rating.
• From 2019 to 2022, the average AQHI rating for the province has been at 2.2 or lower.

To review the full 2022 AAC Annual Air Quality Report, visit https://www.albertaairshedscouncil.ca/.

AAC is made up of Alberta's 10 Airsheds which are regional air quality organizations responsible for independent ambient air monitoring, stakeholder engagement, public awareness, and education. Alberta's Airsheds operate 88 continuous monitoring stations plus various technologies at hundreds of other locations to monitor the air Albertans breathe. The AAC and Alberta's Airsheds work in partnership with the Government of Alberta and other stakeholders.

For more information on how AAC serves its members by leveraging resources, building capacity, and facilitating strategic collaboration with external stakeholders, visit https://www.albertaairshedscouncil.ca/.

SOURCE Alberta Airsheds Council

Media inquiries: Gary Redmond, Co-Chair, Alberta Airsheds Council, Cell: 780-935-4279, E-mail: [email protected]