Number of passengers	Total CO2 released per passenger	CO2 released per passenger per kilometre
35	81.83 Kg	.24 Kg
20	143.3 Kg	.41 Kg
10	286.5 Kg	.82 Kg

AIR POLLUTION AND THE TORONTO ISLAND AIRPORT

Pollution

• Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the most serious of the greenhouse gases. It is produced primarily by burning fossil fuels.
  
  
• CO2 emissions per-passenger kilometre travelled is at least double the amount produced by cars and six times the amount produced by trains and buses.
  
  
• Aviation is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions. It already accounts for 8 million tons of carbon dioxide every year.
  
  
• CO2 emissions have 2.7 times the effect on the environment when released in the upper atmosphere than when released at ground level.
  
  
• Short flights release far more CO2 than longer flights because it is necessary to burn large quantities of fuel to get the aircraft into the upper atmosphere. Many European environmentalists advocate that all short-haul flights should be banned.

Toronto Island Airport

• Porter Airlines specializes in short-haul flights to centres such as Ottawa and Montreal. It will be expanding to American cities within 1,000 km. Its target is 35,000 flights a year.
  
  
• The island airport is located in densely populated neighbourhoods in the heart of Canada’s largest city. The longest runway is one kilometre from the commercial centre of Toronto. The air pollution from aircraft at the island airport affects more people than from any other airport in the country.
  
  
• Porter Airlines flies the Q400, a turboprop aircraft that uses jet fuel. The smell of jet fuel is now pervasive in the Bathurst Quay neighbourhood.
  
  
• Porter flights are flying at an estimated 30% occupancy rate. The pollution per-passenger kilometre travelled from planes using the island airport is higher than that of flights out of Pearson, which have much higher occupancy rates.
  
  
• Air pollution is one of the most serious public health issues in the city. It causes 1,700 deaths in Toronto and 6,000 hospital admissions yearly.
  
  
• Every one-way Porter flight from Toronto to Ottawa releases over 2,865 kilograms of CO2 and a nasty brew of carcinogenic chemicals.
  
  
• To mitigate these many problems CommunityAIR advocates that a system of fast trains be built to make short-haul flights unnecessary, particularly along the Windsor, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City corridor. This would reduce CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions.

Airports, Air Pollution and Health

CommunityAIR has looked at a large number of studies done in other jurisdictions. They include several from the U.S. that rely on well-accepted methodologies and standards developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. These are our findings.

A Few Examples...

Santa Monica: Cancer Risks A study was carried out on the health impacts of the one-runway Santa Monica Regional Airport in California, which has traffic volumes comparable to those of the island airport. The study found that lifetime cancer risk for surrounding neighbourhoods, attributable to airport operations, is 22 times the Environmental Protection Agency standard.

 

Boston: Hard to Breath Another health study examined a residential neighbourhood in Boston, across the Bay from Logan Airport. The study revealed that the portion of the community closest to the airport has double the rate of asthma, allergies and respiratory disease, relative to the half of the community located furthest from the airport. The community of Winthrop was chosen because no other significant pollution generators, such as an expressway, have an impact on the community.

 

Seattle: Life Shortening An examination of hospital records in Seattle showed that the community lying immediately downwind from the relatively small Sea-Tac Regional Airport has more than 50% higher asthma rates, 36% higher cancer rates and a substantially lower life expectancy than the Seattle average.

 

Chicago: 30 Mile Cancer Risk The pollution dispersal map of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport is instructive. The high concentrations of pollutants in close proximity to the airport helps to explain why airports should never be located near high-density neighbourhoods. The Chicago study also shows that significant pollution from airport sources can be measured as far away as 30 miles, depending on the wind direction.

 

London: Noise, Smell, Traffic In the case of the London City Airport (UK), continued expansion far beyond promised levels of activity, has provoked outrage in adjacent communities. They report the pervasive smell of burnt jet fuel and serious noise problems. Nearby buildings have had to be sound-proofed at significant expense to the airport operator.