Air pollution cost Canadian families an estimated $36 billion in 2015 due to premature death and illness, a new research report says. The report, Costs of Pollution in Canada, is a compilation of scientific data on all aspects of pollution, from smog to oil spills and fertilizer use. A 2008 Canadian Medical Association study concluded that about 1,500 people die prematurely every year because of air pollution — a study once considered the gold standard, Smith said. 7,700 deaths a yearMore recently, that study was found to have vastly underestimated the impact; new research in 2015 suggested the number of premature deaths caused by air pollution is closer to 7,700 people a year. "We now know the costs of air pollution are much higher than we thought they were," Smith said.

Source: CBC News June 01, 2017 04:41 UTC