Air quality along the pipeline and the Salish Sea prior to the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) project
About this analysis
This webpage provides a quantification of baseline levels of continuous and time-integrated air quality data prior to the Trans Mountain Expansion (TMX) project. Establishing baseline conditions of air quality data is important for identifying potential changes once the TMX project is operational. Increased oil production and increased marine shipping at ports can potentially have an impact on air quality.
Data used in this analysis were collected between 2010 and 2023 from existing National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) monitoring stations along the pipeline route and coastal areas of the Salish Sea. The pipeline became operational on May 1st, 2024.Footnote 1
Data in this analysis were collected through two different sampling methods: continuous, and time-integrated. Continuous data are collected by the provinces, territories, and jurisdictional NAPS partners using continuous monitoring instruments. They are reported to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) as an hourly average. Time-integrated data are typically reported as a 24-hour average. They are derived from chemical and gravimetric analysis by the NAPS Laboratory of samples collected on various sampling media.
The NAPS program is the main source of ambient air quality data in Canada. To learn more, please visit the National Air Pollution Surveillance (NAPS) Program webpage.
Key insights
The quantification of baseline ambient air quality levels along the pipeline route and coastal areas of the Salish Sea between 2010 and 2023 indicated that air quality conditions remained relatively stable or had a decreasing trend.
- Continuous measurements of carbon monoxide, ozone, and particulate matter had no statistically significant trend during the analysis period. Sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide had a statistically significant decrease.
- Most volatile organic compounds had a statistically significant decrease during the analysis period, except for octane which had no significant trend.
- Trace metals from the Burnaby South station were analyzed. The trace metals vanadium and nickel had a statistically significant decrease. The high ratio of lanthanum (La) to cerium (Ce) indicates this site is likely influenced by the petrochemical industry and marine vessel exhaust emissions.
These insights can be useful to compare against in the future, to see if pipeline operations have impacted air quality conditions.
About the TMX project
The TMX project added 988 km of new pipeline, reactivated 193 km of existing pipeline, and built three new berths at its marine terminal. This expansion increases the pipeline’s capacity from 300,000 to 890,000 barrels each day, and increases the marine terminal’s tanker handling capacity from five to 34 each monthFootnote 2 , resulting in greater air pollution emissions. The pipeline expansion became operational on May 1st, 2024Footnote 1. As pipeline activity and marine traffic increase, it is important to monitor the impact on air quality.
Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project route
Long description
This is a satellite imagery map that displays the route of the TMX pipeline starting in Edmonton, Alberta and ending in Burnaby, British Columbia. This map contains the TMX pipeline route, names of cities along the route, and provincial and national borders. A red line travels in a meandering diagonal line across the map, starting in the northeast corner of the image and ending in the southwest corner of the image. It represents the route of the TMX pipeline from Edmonton, Alberta to Burnaby, British Columbia. White text represents the names of cities near the TMX pipeline. From east to west, they include:
- Lethbridge
- Edmonton
- Red Deer
- Calgary
- Kelowna
- Kamloops
- Prince George
- Whistler
- Vancouver
- Victoria
- Nanaimo
- Bella Coola
The dotted white line to the right of the image represents the border between provinces. The dotted white line near the bottom centre of the image represents the border between states. The solid white line spanning across the southern part of the map identifies the border between Canada and the United States.
The background of the image is small scale satellite imagery. Key features and landforms are:
- mountains: towards the middle of the image, the Rocky Mountains are visible. The mountains appear as more rugged terrain with peaks and ridges. The texture of the slopes indicates there are varying elevations across the mountain range.
- water bodies: the bottom left-hand corner of the image shows part of the Pacific Ocean.
- human-built features: the small scale of this map does not allow for human-built features such as buildings and roads to be represented.
Analysis overview
Continuous air quality monitoring
A number of pollutants were assessed in the baseline analysis, including:
- nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
- sulphur dioxide (SO2)
- carbon monoxide (CO)
- ozone (O3)
- fine particulate matter (PM2.5)
- particulate matter ≤ 10 µm (PM10)
Ambient concentrations of these pollutants can be affected by increased pipeline activity and marine shipping. These pollutants can also be affected by a variety of sources such as industry, electricity generation, transportation emissions, and agriculture, among other sources.
Background
Oil and gas refining:
There are a few refineries near the beginning and end terminal of the TMX pipeline expansion project. Petroleum refineries emit several common air pollutants, including sulphur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), CO, PM2.5, and PM10Footnote 3 .
Petrochemical refineries require large amounts of heat and energy to perform their chemical processes. This is typically achieved through the combustion of fossil fuels in furnaces, boilers and heaters. During combustion, the presence of sulphur in these fuels can lead to the formation of SO2. Additionally, NOx are formed from these combustion processes and can react with other airborne pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ammonia to form secondary pollutants such as O3 and PM2.5. PM2.5 and PM10 can also be directly emitted as a result of fossil fuel combustion. Finally, the incomplete combustion of these fossil fuels can form COFootnote 3 .
Marine shipping:
Globally, ships account for about 15% of NOX emissions and 5-8% of SOX emissions from all fossil fuel sourcesFootnote 4 .
The ash and sulphur content in marine shipping fuel can influence the amount of SO2 and PM2.5 emitted when combusted. Additionally, the emissions of these pollutants are influenced by the ship engine's operating conditions and the type of lubricating oil usedFootnote 5Footnote 6 . The amount of oxygen present during the combustion of the fuel can also influence the amount of CO releasedFootnote 5 .NOX emissions are influenced by the temperature of the marine ship engine during combustion and the amount of nitrogen in the ship’s fuelFootnote 7 . Other pollutants, such as VOCs, can react with NOX to create ground-level O3 and particulate matter such as PM2.5Footnote 8 .
Map of stations with continuous data
NAPS stations with continuous air quality monitoring along the TMX project route and coastal areas of the Salish Sea. Circles indicate NAPS stations.
Long description
This map shows the NAPS stations along the TMX pipeline and coastal areas of the Salish Sea that collect continuous data. This map contains:
- the TMX route
- NAPS stations
- a legend classifying the NAPS stations by population centres
- city names
- national borders
The blue line represents a 10-kilometer buffer around the route of the TMX project from Edmonton, Alberta to Burnaby, British Columbia. The route starts in the northeast corner of the image and travels in a meandering diagonal line towards the southwest corner of the image.
The circles on the map represent NAPS stations along the TMX pipeline. The circles are colour-coded by the size of the population centre that the stations fall within. The legend in the bottom right-hand corner explains the colour coding:
- green: the stations are in a non-urban area
- yellow: the stations are in a small urban area
- orange: the stations are in a medium urban area
- red: the stations are in a large urban area
The black text represents the names of cities near the TMX pipeline. This includes, from east to west:
- Edmonton
- Lethbridge
- Kelowna
- Abbotsford
- Surrey
- Everett
- Vancouver
- Seattle
- Victoria
The thin dashed vertical line towards the center of the image represents the border between Alberta and British Columbia. The thin dashed black line highlighted in pink towards the bottom of the image represents the border between Canada and the United States.
The background of the image is a topographic style map. The key features and landforms are:
- water bodies: the top right hand corner shows the Lesser Slave Lake. The bottom left-hand corner of the image shows part of the Salish Sea and the Straight of Georgia.
- human-built features: the small scale of this map does not allow for human-built features such as buildings and roads to be represented.
Trends
NO2
Long description
Year |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NO2 (ppb) |
36.2 |
34.1 |
35.3 |
34.7 |
35.3 |
34.1 |
33.2 |
35.8 |
34.8 |
35.3 |
30.7 |
31.2 |
32.1 |
30.7 |
Number of stations (N) |
30 |
35 |
37 |
38 |
36 |
37 |
36 |
37 |
38 |
38 |
38 |
36 |
34 |
34 |
This bar chart shows peak levels of nitrogen dioxide from 2010 to 2023 at stations along the pipeline and coastal areas of the Salish Sea. The 98th percentile of the daily max one-hour NO2 concentration was calculated at each individual station. These values were then averaged together for each year.
Data representation:
- The green bars represent the average value of the 98th percentile of daily maximum one-hour NO2 concentrations
- The labels on the y-axis represent the concentration of NO2 in parts per billion (ppb). The y-axis ranges from 0 to 70 ppb
- The labels on the x-axis indicate the year the value occurred in. The axis ranges from 2010 to 2023
- The horizontal red line spanning the graph at 60 ppb represents the 2020 Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standard (CAAQS) for NO2
Key insights:
- The average of the 98th percentile of daily maximum one-hour NO2 concentrations had a statistically significant trend between 2010 and 2023
- Comparisons of the trend values are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to assess whether the Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standard (CAAQS) are achieved. Data are calculated in line with the CAAQS. For more information, please visit the Data sources and methods page
SO2
Long description
Year |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SO2 (ppb) |
19.2 |
18.0 |
18.2 |
16.2 |
15.1 |
13.5 |
10.7 |
13.3 |
11.5 |
8.6 |
7.9 |
8.6 |
9.1 |
9.2 |
Number of stations (N) |
22 |
26 |
29 |
30 |
30 |
30 |
28 |
30 |
30 |
29 |
30 |
29 |
27 |
27 |
This bar chart shows peak levels of sulphur dioxide from 2010 to 2023 at stations along the pipeline and coastal areas of the Salish Sea. The 99th percentile of the daily max one-hour SO2 was calculated at each individual station. These values were then averaged together for each year.
It displays the average of the 99th percentile of the daily maximum one-hour SO2 concentrations measured at stations along the pipeline and coastal areas of the Salish Sea.
Data representation:
- The light green bars represent the average value of the 99th percentile of daily maximum one-hour SO2 concentrations
- The labels on the y-axis represent the concentration of SO2 in parts per billion (ppb). The y-axis ranges from 0 to 80 ppb
- The labels on the x-axis indicate the year the value occurred in. The axis ranges from 2010 to 2023
- The horizontal red line spanning the graph at 70 ppb represents the 2020 Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standard (CAAQS) for SO2
Key insights:
- The average of the 99th percentile of the daily maximum one-hour SO2 concentrations had a statistically significant decrease between 2010 and 2023
- Comparisons of the trend values are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to assess whether the CAAQS are achieved. Data are calculated in line with the CAAQS. For more information, please visit the Data sources and methods page
PM2.5
Long description
Year |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PM2.5 (µg/m3) |
22.4 |
13.9 |
14.7 |
17.0 |
18.5 |
18.7 |
13.7 |
39.4 |
42.7 |
15.9 |
29.3 |
26.5 |
23.3 |
38.1 |
Number of stations (N) |
18 |
31 |
29 |
29 |
34 |
34 |
35 |
35 |
34 |
34 |
35 |
32 |
33 |
33 |
This bar chart shows peak levels of particulates that are less than 2.5 microns in diameter from 2010 to 2023 at stations along the pipeline and coastal areas of the Salish Sea. The 98th percentile of the daily average PM2.5 concentration was calculated at each individual station. These values were then averaged together for the year.
Data representation:
- The light blue bars represent the average value of the 98th percentile of daily average PM2.5 concentrations
- The labels on the y-axis represent the concentration of PM2.5 in micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3). The y-axis ranges from 0 to 45 µg/m3
- The labels on the x-axis indicate the year the value occurred in. The axis ranges from 2010 to 2023
- The horizontal red line spanning the graph at 27 µg/m3 represents the 2020 Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standard (CAAQS) for PM2.5
Key insights:
- The average of the 98th percentile of the daily average PM2.5 concentrations had no statistically significant trend between 2010 and 2023
- The higher concentrations in 2017, 2018, and 2023 can be attributed to wildfires in Western Canada
- Comparisons of the trend values are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to assess whether the CAAQS are achieved. Data are calculated in line with the CAAQS. For more information, please visit the Data sources and methods page
O3
Long description
Year |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
O3 (ppb) |
51.8 |
49.8 |
51.1 |
49.8 |
49.8 |
52.7 |
47.8 |
54.6 |
57.3 |
50.2 |
49.7 |
52.8 |
50.8 |
54.6 |
Number of stations (N) |
28 |
32 |
34 |
35 |
35 |
32 |
35 |
33 |
35 |
35 |
35 |
33 |
33 |
31 |
This bar chart shows peak levels of ozone from 2010 to 2023 at stations along the pipeline and coastal areas of the Salish Sea. The 4th highest daily maximum eight-hour ozone concentration was calculated at each individual station. These values were then averaged together for the year.
Data representation:
- The purple bars represent the average value of the 4th highest daily maximum eight-hour O3 concentrations
- The labels on the y-axis represent the concentration of O3 in parts per billion (ppb). The y-axis ranges from 0 to 70 ppb
- The labels on the x-axis indicate the year the value occurred in. The axis ranges from 2010 to 2023
- The horizontal red line spanning the graph at 62 ppb represents the 2020 Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standard (CAAQS) for O3
Key insights:
- The average of the fourth highest daily maximum eight-hour O3 concentrations had no statistically significant trend between 2010 and 2023
- Comparisons of the trend values are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to assess whether the CAAQS are achieved. Data are calculated in line with the CAAQS. For more information, please visit the Data sources and methods page
CO
Long description
Year |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CO (ppm) |
1.08 |
1.01 |
0.93 |
0.97 |
0.99 |
1.03 |
0.88 |
1.15 |
1.19 |
0.84 |
1.24 |
0.81 |
0.95 |
0.92 |
Number of stations (N) |
16 |
17 |
18 |
21 |
21 |
21 |
20 |
19 |
21 |
18 |
20 |
15 |
13 |
14 |
This bar chart shows peak levels of carbon monoxide from 2010 to 2023 at stations along the pipeline and coastal areas of the Salish Sea. The 99th percentile of the daily max one-hour CO was calculated at each individual station. These values were then averaged together for each year.
Data representation:
- The yellow bars represent the average value of the 99th percentile of daily maximum one-hour CO concentrations
- The labels on the y-axis represent the concentration of CO in parts per million (ppm). The y-axis ranges from 0 to 1.4 ppm
- The labels on the x-axis indicate the year the value occurred in. The axis ranges from 2010 to 2023
Key insights:
- The average of the 99th percentile daily maximum one-hour CO concentrations had no statistically significant trend between 2010 and 2023
PM10
Long description
Year |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PM10 (µg/m3) |
25.0 |
20.2 |
24.7 |
22.3 |
24.1 |
27.1 |
18.1 |
55.4 |
43.0 |
19.9 |
Number of stations (N) |
6 |
8 |
6 |
5 |
9 |
9 |
6 |
8 |
8 |
8 |
This bar chart shows peak levels of particulates that are less than or equal to 10 microns in diameter from 2010 to 2019 at stations along the pipeline and coastal areas of the Salish Sea. The 98th percentile of the daily average PM10 concentration was calculated at each individual station. These values were then averaged together for the year.
Data representation:
- The brown bars represent the average value of the 98th percentile of daily average PM10 concentrations
- The labels on the y-axis represent the concentration of PM10 in micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3). The y-axis ranges from 0 to 60 µg/m3
- The x-axis labels indicate the year the value occurred in. The axis ranges from 2010 to 2019
Key insights:
- The average of the 98th percentile of daily average PM10 concentrations had no statistically significant trend between 2010 and 2019
- Data after 2019 is not included due to lack of data completeness
Petrochemical industry tracers
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are organic chemicals that have high vapour pressure, allowing them to easily become vapours or gases. This analysis focuses on the VOCs propane, octane, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene, as they are released during various stages of oil and gas production. Other common ambient sources for VOCs include transportation and mobile equipment, paints and solvents, home firewood burning, and manufacturingFootnote 8 .
Background
Due to VOCs' high vapour pressure, they evaporate readily into the atmosphere contributing to smog formation and air pollution. VOCs can react with other pollutants such as NOx to create ground-level O3 and PM2.5Footnote 8 . These pollutants can have serious health implications, including respiratory and cardiovascular problemsFootnote 9 . Given the potential health and environmental impacts, it is important to monitor VOC levels from pipeline-related activities.
The Government of Canada has been proactive in addressing emissions of benzene and other VOCs from petroleum storage and loading operationsFootnote 10 . The Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) includes regulations to reduce VOC emissions from the petroleum sector. These regulations mandate comprehensive Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) programs, equipment modifications to prevent leaks, and monitoring of VOC levels at facility perimetersFootnote 11 .
Additionally, the government is working to further limit VOC emissions from various petroleum and petrochemical facilities. These efforts are part of a broader strategy to protect human health and the environment from the harmful effects of VOCs, including carcinogenic substances like benzeneFootnote 12 . Provinces like Alberta have also been adhering to their local and international regulations regarding VOC emissions. This in turn helps to maintain benzene, toluene, ethylene, xylene (BTEX) levels within safe limitsFootnote 13 .
Ambient concentrations of several VOCs had significant decreases from 2010 to 2023 including:
- benzene
- propane
- toluene
- ethylbenzene
- xylene
This is likely due to the identified regulations and measures in-place across Canada.
Map of stations with VOC data
NAPS stations with VOC monitoring along the TMX project and coastal areas of the Salish Sea. Circles indicate NAPS stations.
Long description
This map shows the NAPS stations that collect VOC data along the TMX project. It visualizes the pipeline route, NAPS stations, a legend classifying the NAPS stations by population centers, major city names, and the national border.
The blue line represents a ten-kilometer buffer around the TMX project from Edmonton, Alberta to Burnaby, British Columbia. The route of the pipeline starts in the northeast corner of the image and travels in a meandering diagonal line towards the southwest corner of the image.
The circles on the map represent NAPS stations along the pipeline route. The circles are colour-coded by the size of the population centre that the stations fall within. The legend in the bottom right-hand corner explains the colour coding:
- green: the stations are in a non-urban area
- red: the stations are in a large urban area
The black text displays the name of cities near the TMX project. This includes, from east to west:
- Edmonton
- Lethbridge
- Kelowna
- Abbotsford
- Surrey
- Everett
- Vancouver
- Seattle
- Victoria
The thin dashed vertical line towards the center of the image represents the border between Alberta and British Columbia. The thin dashed black line highlighted in pink towards the bottom of the image represents the border between Canada and the United States.
The background of the image is a topographic style map. Here are the key features and landforms:
- water bodies: the top right hand corner shows the Lesser Slave Lake. The bottom left-hand corner of the image shows part of the Salish Sea and the Straight of Georgia
- human-built features: the small scale of this map does not allow for human-built features such as buildings and roads to be represented
Trends
Propane
Long description
Year |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Propane (µg/m3) |
7.38 |
7.13 |
6.32 |
6.89 |
6.79 |
6.68 |
5.74 |
5.52 |
5.50 |
5.98 |
N/A |
5.34 |
6.62 |
5.23 |
Number of stations (N) |
6 |
6 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
This bar chart shows concentrations of propane from 2010 to 2023. It displays the annual average of the propane concentrations measured at stations along the pipeline and coastal areas of the Salish Sea.
Data representation:
- The green bars represent the annual average value of the propane concentrations
- The labels on the y-axis represent the concentration of propane in micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3). The y-axis ranges from 0 to 8 µg/m3
- The labels on the x-axis indicate the year of measurement. The axis ranges from 2010 to 2023
Key insights:
- The annual average concentration of propane had a statistically significant decrease between 2010 and 2023
- Since the COVID-19 shutdown had a large impact on sampling, 2020 has no samples and 2021-2022 has only 3 out of 7 possible stations with data
Octane
Long description
Year |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Octane (µg/m3) |
0.33 |
0.31 |
0.23 |
0.27 |
0.34 |
0.27 |
0.21 |
0.31 |
0.26 |
0.28 |
N/A |
0.36 |
0.28 |
0.24 |
Number of stations (N) |
6 |
6 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
This bar chart shows concentrations of octane from 2010 to 2023. It displays the annual average of the octane concentrations measured at stations along the pipeline and coastal areas of the Salish Sea.
Data representation:
- The light green bars represent the annual average value of the octane concentrations
- The labels on the y-axis represent the concentration of octane in micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3). The y-axis ranges from 0 to 0.4 µg/m3
- The labels on the x-axis indicate the year of measurement. The axis ranges from 2010 to 2023
Key insights:
- The annual average octane concentration had no statistically significant trend between 2010 and 2023
- Since the COVID-19 shutdown had a large impact on sampling, 2020 has no samples and 2021-2022 has only 3 out of 7 possible stations with data
Benzene
Long description
Year |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Benzene (µg/m3) |
0.96 |
0.78 |
0.69 |
0.80 |
0.79 |
0.75 |
0.59 |
0.68 |
0.64 |
0.62 |
N/A |
0.54 |
0.49 |
0.58 |
Number of stations (N) |
6 |
6 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
This bar chart shows concentrations of benzene from 2010 to 2023. It displays the annual average of the benzene concentrations measured at stations along the pipeline and coastal areas of the Salish Sea.
Data representation:
- The blue bars represent the annual average value of the benzene concentrations
- The labels on the y-axis represent the concentration of propane in micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3). The y-axis ranges from 0 to 1.2 µg/m3
- The labels on the x-axis indicate the year of measurement. The axis ranges from 2010 to 2023
Key insights:
- The annual average concentration of benzene had a statistically significant decrease between 2010 and 2023
- Since the COVID-19 shutdown had a large impact on sampling, 2020 has no samples and 2021-2022 has only 3 out of 7 stations with data
Toluene
Long description
Year |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Toluene (µg/m3) |
2.92 |
2.49 |
2.02 |
2.10 |
2.23 |
2.17 |
1.62 |
2.08 |
1.66 |
1.94 |
N/A |
1.61 |
1.66 |
1.34 |
Number of stations (N) |
6 |
6 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
This bar chart shows toluene concentrations from 2010 to 2023. It displays the annual average of the toluene concentrations measured at stations along the pipeline and coastal areas of the Salish Sea.
Data representation:
- The purple bars represent the annual average value of the toluene concentrations
- The labels on the y-axis represent the concentration of toluene in micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3). The y-axis ranges from 0 to 3.5 µg/m3
- The labels on the x-axis indicate the year of measurement. The axis ranges from 2010 to 2023
Key insights:
- The annual average concentration of toluene had a statistically significant decrease between 2010 and 2023
- Since the COVID-19 shutdown had a large impact on sampling, 2020 has no samples and 2021-2022 has only 3 out of 7 stations with data
Ethylbenzene
Long description
Year |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ethylbenzene (µg/m3) |
0.51 |
0.41 |
0.31 |
0.33 |
0.38 |
0.38 |
0.28 |
0.35 |
0.31 |
0.32 |
N/A |
0.27 |
0.27 |
0.25 |
Number of stations (N) |
6 |
6 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
This bar chart shows ethylbenzene concentrations from 2010 to 2023. It displays the annual average of the ethylbenzene concentrations measured at stations along the pipeline and coastal areas of the Salish Sea.
Data representation:
- The yellow bars represent the annual average value of the ethylbenzene concentrations
- The labels on the y-axis represent the concentration of ethylbenzene in micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3). The y-axis ranges from 0 to 0.6 µg/m3
- The x-axis labels indicate the year of measurement. The axis ranges from 2010 to 2023
Key insights:
- The annual average concentration of ethylbenzene had a statistically significant decrease between 2010 and 2023
- Since the COVID-19 shutdown had a large impact on sampling, 2020 has no samples and 2021-2022 has only 3 out of 7 stations with data
Xylene
Long description
Year |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Xylene (µg/m3) |
2.23 |
1.83 |
1.38 |
1.51 |
1.74 |
1.63 |
1.15 |
1.47 |
1.23 |
1.45 |
N/A |
1.09 |
1.10 |
1.14 |
Number of stations (N) |
6 |
6 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
7 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
This bar chart shows xylene concentrations from 2010 to 2023. It displays the annual average of the xylene concentrations measured at stations along the pipeline and coastal areas of the Salish Sea.
Data representation:
- The brown bars represent the annual average of xylene concentrations
- The labels on the y-axis represent the concentration of xylene in micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3). The y-axis ranges from 0 to 2.5 µg/m3
- The labels on the x-axis indicate the year of measurement. The axis ranges from 2010 to 2023
Key insights:
- The annual average concentration of xylene had a statistically significant decrease between 2010 and 2023
- Since the COVID-19 shutdown had a large impact on sampling, 2020 has no samples and 2021-2022 has only 3 out of 7 stations with data
Petrochemical industry and marine vessel exhaust emission tracers
Airborne particulate matter (PM) is a complex mixture of thousands of organic and inorganic species that emerge from a wide range of natural and anthropogenic sourcesFootnote 14 . Trace metals can be found in components of particulate matter and are harmful to human healthFootnote 15 . This analysis focused on the trace metals found in PM2.5 samples, including:
- Vanadium (V)
- Nickel (Ni)
- Lanthanum (La)
- Cerium (Ce)
These metals were chosen, as they are influenced by marine shipping as well as oil and gas refining. These samples were collected at the Burnaby South NAPS site, located 12 km south of Port of Vancouver and 8 km south of Parkland Refinery, as it is the closest station located to the port and best captures the influence of marine shipping. Other sources of these trace metals include industrial processes, vehicle emissions, and biomass burning, among other sourcesFootnote 16 .
Background
Trace elements are proven to be useful tracers and are extensively used to identify sources of emissions to be targeted by emission reduction policies.
Since fossil fuels are naturally rich in nickel (Ni) and vanadium (V), PM emissions related to oil–based domestic, industrial, and transportation applications have been traditionally traced by high levels and significant correlations of concentrations of Ni and V in PM2.5. In addition, the oil–refining industry extensively uses fluid catalytic cracking units (FCC) for the process of converting petroleum crude oils into gasoline or other commercial products. The FCC catalysts usually contain excessive amounts of lanthanum (La) whereas the concentration of cerium (Ce) remains close to natural levels. Although the catalyst is recycled and reused during the refining process, there is a small amount that is either unintentionally released into the atmosphere or retained in the heavier product of oil-refining process. As a result, the natural La/Ce ratio of 0.5 in ambient particulate matter is altered towards higher values by oil-refining or heavy-oil combustionFootnote 15 Footnote 17 .
Commercial marine vessels typically burn heavy fuel oil (HFO). Compared to gas and oil products used by other means of transportation, HFOs are denser and have a higher sulphur content, which varies from 2 to 5%. Particles emitted by HFOs also have higher concentrations of V, Ni, and La. For this reason, high concentrations of V, Ni and La/Ce ratios are reliable indicators of marine transportation emissions of PM2.5Footnote 15 .
Map of the station with trace metals data
The Burnaby South NAPS station with trace metals monitoring along the TMX project and coastal areas of the Salish Sea. The circle indicates the NAPS station.
Long description
This map shows the Burnaby South NAPS station that collects trace metals data relative to the pipeline and coastal areas of the Salish Sea. This map displays the TMX project route, the Burnaby South NAPS station, a legend showing that the NAPS station is in a large urban centre, city names, and the national border.
The blue line represents a ten-kilometer buffer around the TMX route from Edmonton, Alberta to Burnaby, British Columbia. The route of the pipeline starts in the northeast corner of the image and travels in a meandering diagonal line towards the southwest corner of the image.
The circle on the map represents the Burnaby South NAPS station. It is coloured red to indicate that the station is located in a large urban centre.
The black text displays the name of cities near the TMX project. This includes, from east to west:
- Abbotsford
- Langley
- Bellingham
- Coquitlam
- Surrey
- Vancouver
- Richmond
- Victoria
The thin dashed black line highlighted in pink towards the bottom of the image represents the border between Canada and the United States.
The background of the image is a topographic style map. Here are the key features and landforms:
- water bodies: the bottom left-hand corner of the image shows the Salish Sea, the Strait of Georgia and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The far left of the image shows Lake Cowichan on Victoria Island
- human-built features: the small scale of this map does not allow for human-built features such as buildings and roads to be represented
Trends
Vanadium
Long description
Year |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vanadium (ng/m3) |
2.77 |
2.73 |
2.30 |
1.39 |
1.76 |
0.41 |
0.22 |
0.26 |
0.33 |
0.28 |
0.08 |
0.21 |
0.25 |
0.26 |
Number of stations (N) |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
This bar chart shows vanadium concentrations from 2010 to 2023. It displays the annual average of the vanadium concentrations measured at the Burnaby South station along the pipeline and coastal area of the Salish Sea.
Data representation:
- The green bars represent the annual average value of the vanadium concentrations
- The labels on the y-axis represent the concentration of vanadium in nanograms per cubic metre (ng/m3). The y-axis ranges from 0 to 3 ng/m3
- The labels on the x-axis indicate the year of measurement. The axis ranges from 2010 to 2023
Key insights:
- The annual average concentration of vanadium had a statistically significant decrease between 2010 and 2023
Nickel
Long description
Year |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nickel (ng/m3) |
1.38 |
1.24 |
1.38 |
1.61 |
1.63 |
0.70 |
0.55 |
0.81 |
0.43 |
0.56 |
0.16 |
0.52 |
0.51 |
0.60 |
Number of stations (N) |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
This bar chart shows nickel concentrations from 2010 to 2023. It displays the annual average of the nickel concentrations measured at the Burnaby South station along the pipeline and coastal area of the Salish Sea.
Data representation:
- The purple bars represent the annual average value of the nickel concentrations
- The labels on the y-axis represent the concentration of nickel in nanograms per cubic metre (n/m3). The y-axis ranges from 0 to 1.8 ng/m3
- The labels on the x-axis indicate the year of measurement. The axis ranges from 2010 to 2023
Key insights:
- The annual average concentration of nickel had a statistically significant decrease between 2010 and 2023
La/Ce
Long description
Year |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
La/Ce |
1.33 |
2.74 |
3.73 |
3.52 |
4.12 |
3.41 |
2.04 |
2.29 |
1.54 |
2.09 |
1.35 |
1.27 |
Number of stations (N) |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
This bar chart shows ratios of lanthanum to cerium concentrations from 2012 to 2023. It displays the annual average of the lanthanum to cerium ratios measured at the Burnaby South station along the pipeline and coastal area of the Salish Sea.
Data representation:
- The yellow bars represent the ratio of lanthanum to cerium concentrations
- The labels on the y-axis represent the ratios. The y-axis ranges from 0 to 4.5
- The labels on the x-axis indicate the year of measurement. The axis ranges from 2010 to 2023
- The horizontal red line spanning the graph at 0.5 represents the La/Ce ratio that naturally occurs in ambient air particulate matter. Values above this line suggest that ambient air particulate matter has been affected by oil-refining or heavy-oil combustion
Key insights:
- The annual average ratio of La/Ce had no statistically significant trend between 2010 and 2023
- All ratios of La/Ce were above 0.5, indicating they are influenced by oil-refining and heavy-oil combustion