MOECC updates the Sulphur Dioxide Air Standard

As announced on the Environmental  Registry of Ontario, on March 20, 2018, the MOECC has updated the sulphur dioxide air standards and introduced Upper Risk Thresholds as part of the regulatory framework to better protect human health and the environment.  In addition, they have clarified requirements in the regulation for assessing operating conditions with a focus on addressing emissions of contaminants during transitional operating conditions (TOC) and added a tool to require incident modelling of industrial facilities.

The updates the air standards for sulphur dioxide are as follows:

• A 1-hour average air standard of 100 micrograms per cubic metre of air (μg/m³) for sulphur dioxide, based on respiratory morbidity associated with exposure to this substance
• An annual average air standard of 10 μg/m³ for sulphur dioxide, based on vegetation damage with exposure to this substance

Click HERE to access the decision details.