The Border Air Quality Study (BAQS) is a combination of research projects aimed at supporting the development of an international strategy for the Georgia Basin-Puget Sound airshed. The Border Air Quality Study investigated whether exposure to a range of air pollutants was associated with various health outcomes, from asthma to birthweight.

This website provides information about the various studies that made up the Border Air Quality. See the list below for links to some of our main findings.

About the Study

The Border Air Quality Study (BAQS) presents a combination of research projects aimed at evaluating the health impacts of air pollution in the Georgia Basin-Puget Sound International airshed.

The University of British Columbia’s efforts are focused on establishing cohorts to examine the impact of air pollution on birth outcomes, the development of childhood respiratory disease and adult cardiovascular health using the BC Linked Health Database. Additional studies include an evaluation of the incidence of childhood acute otitis media and exposure to air pollutants; a validation study to assess personal exposures and activity patterns of pregnant women. In addition, we are building a land use/transportation network database to assess the relationship between the built environment, air quality impacts and exposure.

The University of Washington’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences is supporting these studies through the development of a similar infant cohort and performing air quality exposure analysis to determine particulate matter exposure and infant health in the Seattle area.

These epidemiological and land use/transportation network studies will be coupled with UBC’s Department of Geography’s detailed local geographic and meteorological mapping and modeling to develop an enhanced exposure assessment of land use, emissions (with specific emphasis on traffic and wood combustion), exposures and health effects in the transboundary airshed.

The University of Victoria’s Geography Department is further developing the mapping and modeling in the BAQS strategy with specific projects to model indoor particle infiltration, ambient PM 2.5 concentrations using MODIS satellite imagery, and the development of a population exposure simulation model.

These research projects have been developed in response to Health Canada’s request for further progress in research to determine sources of greatest concern in each airshed and the development of a common basis of understanding between Canada and the United States regarding transboundary air quality conditions, potential future trends, and associated impacts on human health.

We intend to address health and environmental concerns in each airshed by assessing exposures related to specific categories of emissions sources, at both the community and individual level.

To view an overview of the study in presentation format, click HERE (pdf)