title: Systematic identification and prioritization of communities impacted by residential woodsmoke in British Columbia, Canada.
abstract: Residential woodsmoke is an under-regulated source of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), often surpassing mobile and industrial emissions in rural communities in North America and elsewhere. In the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada, many municipalities are hesitant to adopt stricter regulations for residential wood burning without empirical evidence that smoke is affecting local air quality. The objective of this study was to develop a retrospective algorithm that uses 1-h PM2.5concentrations and daily temperature data to identify smoky days in order to prioritise communities by smoke impacts. Levoglucosan measurements from one of the smokiest communities were used to establish the most informative values for three algorithmic parameters: the daily standard deviation of 1-h PM2.5measurements; the daily mean temperature; and the daytime-to-nighttime ratio of PM2.5concentrations. Alternate parameterizations were tested in 45 sensitivity analyses. Using the most informative parameter values on the most recent two years of data for each community, the number of smoky days ranged from 5 to 277. Heat maps visualizing seasonal and diurnal variation in PM2.5concentrations showed clear differences between the higher- and lower-ranked communities. Some communities were sensitive to one or more of the parameters, but the overall rankings were consistent across the 45 analyses. This information will allow stakeholder agencies to work with local governments on implementing appropriate intervention strategies for the most smoke-impacted communities.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Services, BC Centre for Disease Control, 655 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4R4, Canada. Electronic address: kris.hong@bccdc.ca.
authors.forename: Kris Y
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Occupational Health, McGill University, Purvis Hall, 1020 Pine Ave. West, Montreal, QC, H3A 1A2, Canada. Electronic address: scottandrew.weichenthal@mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Scott
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Weichenthal
authors.affiliation: British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Suite 200, 10470-152 Street, Surrey, BC, V3R 0Y3, Canada; Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada. Electronic address: arvind.saraswat@gov.bc.ca.
authors.forename: Arvind
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saraswat
authors.affiliation: Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability, University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada. Electronic address: gavin.king@gov.bc.ca.
authors.forename: Gavin H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: King
authors.affiliation: Environmental Health Services, BC Centre for Disease Control, 655 West 12th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4R4, Canada; School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, 2202 East Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada. Electronic address: sarah.henderson@bccdc.ca.
authors.forename: Sarah B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Henderson
authors.affiliation: School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia, 2202 East Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada. Electronic address: michael.brauer@ubc.ca.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brauer
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D001955:British Columbia; D002947:Cities; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D009656:North America; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000032:analysis*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012906:Smoke / Q000032:analysis*; D014934:Wood / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D052638:Particulate Matter; D012906:Smoke
keywords: Air quality; Environmental health; Levoglucosan; Particulate matter pollution; Residential woodsmoke; Wood stove