For the first time, Canada is the most polluted country in North America

Canada will replace the United States as the most polluted country in North America in 2023, according to a ranking of 6^H The annual report on global air quality was released on Tuesday.

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All 13 of the most polluted cities on the continent are located in Canada, according to data analyzed by IQAir scientists, who took into account more than 30,000 monitoring stations spread across 134 countries.

Montreal, which saw major bouts of smog last summer, making it at times the most polluted city in the world, was ranked as the 2,846th city.^H The most polluted city out of 7,812 global municipalities.

The average PM2.5 concentration was 11.1 µg/m2³ In Quebec City, it is two to three times the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline value of 5 µg/m³.

The difference was particularly pronounced compared to 2022, where the average rate was 7.9 µg/m³ In Montreal.

Although they are geographically close, the municipality of Laval was less polluted than the larger city with an average rate of 9.7 µg/m3³ In 2023. So it was 3685^H The most polluted city in the world.

Much less than anywhere else in the world

But the results in Canada are much less severe than those in other countries, such as Bangladesh, which was considered the most polluted country in 2023 with an average rate of 79.9 micrograms/m3.³That is, 15 times higher than the annual recommendation of the World Health Organization.

Overall, 124 out of 134 countries exceeded 5 µg/m³ Recommended by the World Health Organization.

The seven countries that have complied with this directive are Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius and New Zealand.

In response, Aidan Farrow, senior air quality researcher at Greenpeace, said: “In 2023, air pollution will still be a global health disaster.”

“There is an urgent need for local, national and international efforts to monitor air quality in places where there are insufficient resources, to manage the causes of transboundary haze and to reduce our dependence on combustion as an energy source,” he said.

Air quality in different municipalities in Quebec in 2023

• Montreal: Average rate of 11.1 µg/m³
• Laval: average rate of 9.7 µg/m³
• Levis: average rate of 8.8 µg/m³
• Trois-Rivières: average rate 8.7 µg/m3³
• Sherbrooke: Average rate 7.6 µg/m³
• Rimouski: average rate of 6.8 µg/m³
• WHO guideline value: 5 µg/m³