Province adds sulphur dioxide monitoring to Kitimat as concern over air quality continues

Kitimat, B.C., residents now have a new tool to track the concentration of sulphur dioxide (SO2)in the air.

The B.C. government announced a new system calledAir Quality Health Index Plus (AQHI-Plus) on Tuesday, which will supplement the current pilot project alertingKitimat residents of elevated sulphur dioxide levels in the community.

Residents have expressed concern aboutthe aluminum-producing Rio TintoAlcan plant for years. They say it pumps chemicals into the air that can affect a person's health.

Alerts will be posted when concentrations reach or exceed 36 parts per billionat any of the three monitoring sites in the community. Those sites include Kitamaat Village, Riverlodge and the Whitesail neighbourhood.

Environment MinisterGeorge Heymansaid in a statement thepilot project is in direct response to community concerns about air quality.

"People have the right to know what's in the air they breathe," Heyman said in the statement.

Kitimat Terrace Clean Air Coalition's Lis Stannussays themove has been a long time coming.

"The community is very concerned about sulphur dioxide, because we know that there are large amounts being released or that could be released from Rio Tinto," Stannus told the host of CBC'sDaybreak North,Carolina de Ryk.

The company said emissions from the plant have decreased since its2015 upgrades. But Stannussaid the coalition is worried they're referring to overall emissions, not how much they're allowed to release on a daily basis.

"We want to make sure that pollution in our air is being measured accurately," she said.

Controversial upgrade

In 2015, Rio Tinto modernized its Kitimat smelter but attracted controversywhen the B.C. government gave the company permission to increase SO2 emissionsby as much as 56 per cent.

Residents of the community,including Rio Tinto employees, urged the company to install scrubbers, which use saltwater to decrease the amount of SO2released.

However, the company received provincial government approval to reopen without scrubbers. Instead, it took part in anenvironmental effects monitoring programin order to track the upgrade's effects on human health and the environment.

The new AQHI-Plus program will provide hourly air quality values,on a scale of one to 10+, and offerhealth tips based on those readings.

Short-term exposure to high SO2 levels can cause breathing difficulties and tightening ofthe chest, according to the province. Those with chronic respiratory illness, like asthma, can be even more sensitive to the effects of SO2.

The government said people can receive alerts directly by email through the provincial air quality subscription service.

Click the link below to listen to the full interview: