A majority of the victims will be senior citizens who are more vulnerable to heart ailments, the CMA said. According to the CMA study released Wednesday, this year 21,000 Canadians will die from short- and long-term exposure to air pollution. By 2031 the annual death toll could rise by 83 percent to 39,000 fatalities. A majority of the elderly victims will expire from heat and lung conditions brought by decades of inhaling dirty air.
CMA President Brian Day estimates medical and lost-productivity cost due to pollution will hit $8 billion in 2008. By 2031 it could accumulate to more than $250 billion.
Ted Boadway, CMA technical adviser on health and environment, explained that long exposure to air pollution destroys the muscle cells of the heart's arteries, which harden. Short-term exposure could lead to thickening of the blood, which clogs arteries and leads to heart attacks and strokes.
Day said they released the study to challenge the government to act on the problem immediately.
"We've provided a road map for policy makers about where we stand in terms of air quality and they can choose one of two routes: act now to improve air quality or reap the consequences by failing to do so," Day wrote.
Health Minister Tony Clement promised to act on the recommendations.
