We see a lot of articles and opinions in the Times Colonist about the economics of pipelines and fossil-fuel exports, but not so much about the related health costs.
Burning fossil fuels produces toxic air pollutants linked to premature births, children with cognitive and behavioural disorders, mental-health problems, asthma and other respiratory illnesses, and potentially cardiovascular disease and cancer. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are neurotoxic air pollutants associated with developmental delay, reduced IQ, symptoms of anxiety, depression, ADHD, deficient maturation of emotional self-regulation capacity and poorer social responsiveness in childhood.
Greenhouse gases from fossil fuels are also heating the planet and increasing ground-level ozone, which is estimated to be responsible for tens of thousands of hospital and emergency-room visits, millions of cases of acute respiratory symptoms and school absences, and thousands of premature deaths each year in North America.
Also, in B.C. we have been blanketed by air pollution from wildfires, causing coughing, sore throats, extreme wheezing for people with respiratory disease, and cardiovascular illness. With prolonged exposure, toxins can work their way into our lung tissues and bloodstreams.
In our greedy rush to export ever more fossil fuels to Asian markets, we have overlooked the real health costs, not only for Canadians, but for the billions living in Asia who also suffer the sickening effects of burning coal, oil and gas. It’s clear that reducing fossil-fuel use will benefit our health, and the sooner we can transition to clean, renewable energy the better.
Dwight Owens
Langford
