Saxe said the current standards, set in 1974 and not changed since, are several times higher than Health Canada’s limits for safe exposure. The provincial government proposed new air pollution standards Friday for sulphur dioxide, a component of acid rain, updating a decades-old standard that didn’t protect human health. Sulphur dioxide can cause a range of respiratory issues, even after short exposures of five to 10 minutes. Industrial facilities in Sarnia regularly release sulphur dioxide during flaring, a process used to burn off materials dangerous to plants. The new standards proposed Friday include three new air standards for the chemical for exposures of 10 minutes, an hour and a year.

Source: thestar October 27, 2017 15:59 UTC