Air Quality
Air Quality
The information for this section was obtained in June, 1995 from Kevin
Stuart of The Health & Safety Office, and Dave Churchill of Plant
Operations. To view this section of
the CEAR Questionnaire Click here.
Federal Air Quality Standards: Federal air quality standards are
maintained by UW and the City of Waterloo in that the quantities of air
emissions produced are non-detectable. Regulations governing air quality
at UW are set out in Regulation 308 - Environmental Protection Act
(Ministry of Attorney General,1990) and the Occupational Health and Safety
Act section on Air
Quality. U.S. Standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency are
also followed here at UW.
Stationary Sources of Air Pollution:
- Power house stack - natural gas fired operations
- Lab fume hoods - these emit minimum quantities. Fume hoods must
meet Ministry of Environment and Energy regulations prior to installation.
- Stack on Village 2 and Married Student Appartments
- Food Services
Two years ago there was an incinerator for bio-medical waste produced on
campus, but this practice was terminated for reasons of cost.
Quantities of Air Pollution: No attempt has been made to
calculate totals because emissions from UW operations are negligable,
they are below exceedance levels.
Common Pollutants: The most common stationary and mobile pollutant
on campus is Carbon Dioxide.
Air Pollution Reduction Programs: UW attempts to reduce air
pollutants from stationary sources. UW uses carbon dioxide monitors to
minimize ventilation use or maximize ventilation use. Carbon dioxide
monitors currently exist in the Environmental Studies 2 building. Also,
minimum Oxygen is used for burning in order to minimize nitrous oxide
levels.
Programs for Ozone-Depleting Compounds: Currently, Freon 11,
22, and 12
are used in cooling systems and refrigerators on campus.
However, UW uses a compressor unit which captures Freon. A Vaccum is
used to empty the cooling systems and store the Freon in a presurized
containment unit. This results in high efficiency air removal which
minimized Freon loss when air is removed from the system. There is also
a consultant who is currently working on the development of conversion
plans.
RETURN TO CEAR - OUR DATA
Created By:The Enviro-Base Team
(clussier@cousteau.uwaterloo.ca)
Last Updated: August 10th, 1995