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Air Quality

Air pollution, inside or outside, can affect your health. Poor air quality can cause these symptoms:

  • Eyes, nose, and throat irritation
  • Asthma or make existing asthma worse
  • Allergic reactions
  • Headaches
  • Tiredness/drowsiness
  • Nausea/dizziness
  • Lung problems or coughing

See some common sources of indoor air pollutants and associated health effects (PDF, 4 pages)

Healthy air in your home

There are no laws or regulations that set safe levels of air pollution in the home.  If you think there is poor air quality in your home, take the following steps:

If you own your home

  • Report symptoms to your doctor.
  • Contact a home inspector for a home inspection.
  • Contact Public Health for more information.

If you rent

  • Report symptoms to your doctor.
  • Write down the issues (e.g., mould, water stains, insect stains/activity, or water leaks) in a letter. Keep a copy of the letter, and give a copy to your superintendent or property manager.
  • If your concerns are not taken care of, contact your local municipal property standards department and ask for an inspection.
  • Contact Public Health for advice.

Radon in your home

Radon is colourless, odourless, tasteless, radioactive gas that occurs naturally in the environment. Because radon is found in soil and rocks, it can come up through the ground and into homes through cracks, drains, and dirt floors.

Radon isn’t dangerous when it’s in the open air, but when it’s trapped in your home it can become a health risk. Breathing high levels of radon can increase your risk of developing lung cancer, and it increases the risk of lung cancer from smoking.

The concentration of radon in the air is measured in units called Becquerels (Bq). The guideline from Health Canada is 200 Bq or less per cubic metre per year.

To test your home for radon, contact a certified professional.

Healthy air at work

Moisture, temperature, and airflow can affect workplace air quality.

The Ontario Ministry of Labour is responsible for ensuring the health and safety of all workers. The Ministry must protect workers from pollutants in the workplace, including:

  • Mould or other biological contaminants
  • Chemicals
  • Small particles (e.g., spray from cleaning products, cooking, smoking)

If you think there might be air quality problems in your workplace:

  • Let the building manager know your concerns.
  • Talk with your doctor or other healthcare provider.
  • Report your problems to your company's physician, nurse, or health and safety officer.

Contact the Ontario Ministry of Labour  at 1-877-202-0008 if you feel your workplace is not doing enough about your concerns.

Outdoor air quality

The quality of air outside is affected by both the natural environment (e.g., weather) and human actions (e.g., driving).

Smog and air quality alerts

Smog is a combination of gases: ground-level ozone, small particles of substances like cleaning products and smoke, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon monoxide.

The Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) monitors the air and rates how clean it is on a scale called the Air Quality Index. When the Air Quality Index gets higher than 50, the MOE and Environment Canada issue an air quality advisory or smog alert. These tell you what you can do to protect yourself and to lower the amount of new pollution being created. To check the air quality in your area, visit: