Air quality data now public

The Kahnawake Environment Protection Office (KEPO) has begun actively monitoring air quality in five different locations in the territory. 

The air quality monitors have been set up at the Kahnawake Survival School, on Route 207 by Zachary Road, and on Peter Foxy’s Street near the JFK quarry. There is also one running at the Office Complex by the Seaway and one at KEPO’s office near the Peacekeepers station. 

The research is being carried out to respond to air quality concerns from community members. There’s long been complaints about the area surrounding the quarry. Many have also reported unpleasant odours coming from the direction of Sainte-Catherine, said Cole Delisle, a project coordinator with KEPO overseeing the initiative. 

“We just got some recent complaints about it in the past few weeks,” he said. “We’re hoping that this monitor will provide us a bit more data about the smoke and dust people are reporting in the community.”

The data being collected is publicly available online. It can be found by visiting map.purpleair.com and clicking on the real-time map tab.  

Each location on the map lists a figure indicating the air quality there. Remaining outdoors in an area with figures exceeding 50 for 24 hours or more can be dangerous for those with breathing problems. 

Those looking at the map can learn about the air quality in real time. They can also see how that figure compares to the location’s weekly average.  

This data is particularly useful for schools like KSS, Delisle said, which can use the data to advise students to remain indoors if the air is unsafe.
Mohawk Council of Kahnawake (MCK) grand chief Cody Diabo said it will also be helpful to be able to point to the data if they ever need to bring concerns to Quebec’s environmental ministry. 

“If there’s something that you’re noticing, like a smell, report it to us, because we can’t be everywhere at once. But if we’re notified of something, then we can try to follow up on it,” Diabo said.

Since beginning the monitoring a few weeks ago KEPO has yet to detect anything serious enough to warrant health concerns. That includes the area surrounding the JFK quarry, Delisle said. 

More research is still needed however to rule out other kinds of pollution present that the air monitors can’t detect, he said. 

“All these factories have standards for what they’re allowed to release and what is considered safe,” Delisle added, mentioning ones in Sainte Catherine. “Just because it’s considered safe doesn’t mean it’s exactly pleasant for us.”

A lot of community members are worried about pollution coming from the industrial sectors surrounding Kahnawake, the MCK grand chief added, and it’s important to remain vigilant.

“It is a major problem that we need to address,” Diabo said. “If people are smelling it every week, then we have a problem.”

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