Clearing the Air: Are Electric Vehicles Actually Better for Our Health?

Last June Environmental Defence and the Ontario Public Health Association released the Clearing the Air report analyzing the health impacts of electric vehicles (EVs) and cleaner trucks in Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA) and how they can clear the air by reducing pollution. This report shows that air pollution causes more than 3,000 premature deaths every year in the GTHA - and that affects Guelph, too. One of the biggest sources of this air pollution is vehicle traffic. This estimate is based on exposure to 3 pollutants - fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and Ozone (O3). Air pollution is linked to lung cancer, respiratory conditions like asthma, allergies and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and cardiovascular conditions like angina, heart attack, hypertension and stroke.

This event, presented by eMERGE, will explore what a shift to cleaner vehicles could look like in Guelph. Presenters will share evidence from the Clearing the Air report to demonstrate that cleaner vehicles can be a pathway to cleaner air, improved public health, and reduced climate change impacts. It will also tackle the question of 'What does a shift to cleaner vehicles look like?' and present the results of the Guelph Attitudes on EVs survey, prepared by the Research Shop with eMERGE.

Presenters include:

Helen Doyle | BSc, CPHI(C), Ontario Public Health Association( OPHA)

Laura Minet | Ph.D., Post Doctoral Fellow at University of Toronto

Brianna Wilson | Ph.D. student at University of Guelph & Research Shop Assistant