Elevated levels of acrolein in the Millar Addition don't pose an immediate health risk, according to Northern Interior Medical Health Officer Dr. William Osei.
A study released this week by the provincial Ministry of the Environment showed higher than normal levels of acrolein, a chemical known to cause irritation to the eye, nose and throat. The pungent-smelling compound originates in everything from cigarette smoke and diesel engines to overheating cooking oil and industrial output.
Osei said animal tests haven't shown an increased risk of either cancer or birth defects when exposure is at the level found in the study.
"If you don't get a big amount of it, if you don't put your head in it or your nose in it, you're going to come out well," Osei said.
Exposure to higher amounts over a longer period of time can be damaging to the lungs, but since it's know to dissipate quickly it's difficult to inhale enough to cause serious problems.
The study, conducted between 2011 and 2012, looked at the concentration of volatile organic compounds in the air when there was a noticeable odour to the air in the neighbourhood.
B.C. doesn't have a specific target for a safe level of acrolein in the general environment, but the amount found in the study was higher than an acceptable threshold in California's acute standards but lower than what's allowed in Ontario.
Prince George Air Improvement Roundtable executive director Terry Robert said the elevated levels of acrolein in the Millar Addition could serve as an "early warning device" for air quality in the city at large. He would like to see more study into acrolein levels in other neighbourhoods as well as the development of a plan to reduce the amount released into the environment.
He's also concerned about what happens when acrolein mixes with the nearly 200 other compounds that were found to be present in the air in the government study.
"There are 194 compounds there, what happens when some of them mix together? Is there an additive effect to the odour and effects experienced by residents?" he said. "Frankly at this point we just don't know, there's no real literature out there on that."
The precise source of the acrolein is unknown, but industrial activity in the area around the neighbourhood - including forestry, energy and transportation operations - are among the likely culprits. Osei said more work is needed to identify the source and break the chain of transmission and exposure.
"We need more study, we need to study this around the clock and see what's happening," he said. "We don't have enough information yet."
Some of the acute levels in the Millar Addition could pose concern for some at-risk groups, including young people or the eldery who have pre-existing breathing problems like asthma, according to Osei. He said Northern Health with continue to monitior the levels and issue advisories to physicians, care homes and the general public if levels spike.
