The first national assessment of polycyclic aromatic compounds in more than 25 years has found that air has improved around aluminum and steel plants. But wildfires and vehicles have stepped in to keep average concentrations at about the same level that they were in the 1990s, says federal researcher Elisabeth Galarneau.
Sign up here to receive The Climate Barometer, delivering climate and environmental news to your inbox every week " guideline is exceeded almost everywhere we looked in Canada," Galarneau said. "The exceedances in some areas are well over an order of magnitude." Research has found that climate change contributes to bigger, hotter fires by drying out forests and extending the fire season.
Galarneau warned that her research isn't the whole picture. Her team looked at only 16 different compounds, a list that dates back to the 1970s. Analytical chemistry has come a long way since then. Scientists are becoming increasingly concerned about other similar chemicals that aren't on the list, she said.