November 17, 2021
2021 Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering
The Southern Ontario Centre for Atmospheric Aerosol Research (SOCAAR) unites the talent of experts from engineering, environmental science, medicine, public health and government to study the sources and impacts of air pollution. Read more
November 17, 2021
U of T Engineering team earns Brockhouse Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering
A multidisciplinary team that includes several U of T Engineering professors has been awarded the 2021 Brockhouse Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Read more
October 27, 2021
‘Highly polluting’: Why lawn care can be hazardous to health, environment
In an interview with Global News, Prof. Greg Evans and Prof. Jeffrey Brook explain why gasoline-powered garden equipment can be hazardous to the environment and our health, polluting the air we breathe.Read more
October 7, 2021
86% of Canadians live in areas where air pollution exceeds WHO guidelines: researchers
According to Prof. Jeff Brook, around 56 per cent of people in Canada live in areas where the levels of nitrogen dioxide exceed the new guidelines. Read more
September 22, 2021
WHO releases new air quality guidelines
In an interview with CTV Toronto, Prof. Jeff Brook says the research that underpins the new WHO air quality guidelines for PM 2.5 has come from groundbreaking Canadian researchRead more
September 18, 2021
Manitoba school ventilation projects might not clear the air of COVID-19, expert says
Jeffrey Siegel, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Toronto, says proper ventilation could determine whether schools are able to stay open over the fall and winter. Read more
August 27, 2021
What are HEPA filters and how effective are they in Ontario classrooms?
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In an interview with The Star, Prof. Jeffrey Siegel explains how HEPA filters can help in school settings to improve the indoor air quality. Read more
August 6 ,2021
Long-term benefits of air filters in classrooms for students
Professor Jeffrey Siegel tells CityNews that the benefits of improved air quality in Ontario schools far outweigh the cost of new air filters. Read more
August 4, 2021
Air quality in Toronto’s subways improves with new trains, reduced friction braking: U of T study
Air quality on Toronto subway platforms improved substantially with the rollout of new cars on Line 1, U of T Engineering Professor Greg Evans and Health Canada researcher Keith Van Ryswyk. Read more
August 4, 2021
Ontario’s investment in improving school air quality provides benefits beyond pandemic, experts say
Jeffrey Siegel, a professor in the department of civil and mineral engineering at the University of Toronto, told Global News on Wednesday that while the filters and improving ventilation systems will help in the fight against COVID-19, schools need more guidance than the government is putting out there. Read more
August 3, 201
TTC subway air quality has ‘improved substantially’ in past 10 years, new study finds
According to a new report from Health Canada, the National Research Council of Canada and the University of Toronto, the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has made significant improvements to air quality in the subway system. Read more
July 15, 2021
Ontario is opening up for Step 3: What you need to know as you head inside to share air with strangers
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According to Dr. Jeffrey Siegel, a professor of civil engineering at the University of Toronto, there's no magic bullet for improving indoor air quality. Rather it’s making sure HVAC systems are working and set to circulate as much fresh air as possible, bringing in portable HEPA filters and even cracking doors and windows if needed, looking at the risk in each space. Read more
June 15, 2021
New project to develop targeted air monitoring solution for industrial sites
SOCAAR is pleased to announce that we have recently secured a project
“AirSENCE-FIM Sensor Networks for Reliable and Affordable Fence-line and Community Air Quality Monitoring” under NSERC Alliance - OCE VIP program for academic and industry collaboration. This project aims to address global air quality challenges, specifically, surrounding industrial manufacturing sites for the monitoring of pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and dihydrogen sulphide (H 2 S). Read more
June 9, 2021
Doctors call for Canada to adopt airborne transmission protocols for COVID-19
"The connection between ventilation and infectious disease has been very well established and people knew it 200 years ago. There is nothing new about ventilation,” Jeffrey Siegel, professor of civil engineering at the University of Toronto. Read more
March 12,2021
Air pollution dropped significantly during the pandemic
Dr. Jeff Brook's app that explores air quality and the health of communities is featured in this episode of CBC News: The National. Learn more in his interview
March 13, 2021
Cleaner air during pandemic lockdowns shows what's possible, say researchers
"What COVID is showing … is that the moment that the lockdown started, we saw bigger gains or equal gains [in air quality] as to what we achieved over 10 years of efforts," says Dr. Jeff Brook Read more
February 17, 2021
The UrbanScanner Project: Mobile monitoring of air pollution in cities
Prof. Marianne Hatzopoulou and her research team developed UrbanScanner, a rolling laboratory capable of monitoring air quality, traffic, trees and built environment in urban settings. Read more
February 11, 2021
Air pollution in US subway stations is disturbingly high
The new findings fit well with other research on subway systems around the world, which indicates that rush hour fine particle concentrations can make up a large proportion of commuters’ daily exposures, says Keith Van Ryswyk, a doctoral candidate at the University of Toronto’s Southern Ontario Centre for Atmospheric Aerosol Research. Read more
February 6, 2021
Is an $800 purifier best to clean your home's air? Marketplace tested 5 top brands and their claims
Working with Prof. Jeffrey Siegel and his team, Marketplace put five popular brands of home air purifiers to the test. Read more
February 3, 2021
U of T researchers develop app to track environmental health of neighbourhoods
Researchers at the University of Toronto are developing an app that allows users to learn about air quality, greenery, walkability and other factors contributing to the environmental health of their neighbourhoods.Read more
January 15, 2021
How to keep the air in your home cleaner this winter, and why it's so important
"The first thing you should always try for any indoor air-quality problem is getting rid of the source," said Jeffrey Siegel, a professor at the University of Toronto's department of civil & mineral engineering. He noted dealing with the source is preferred to trying to purify polluted air.Read more
January 6, 2021
Hatzopoulou presentation on transportation & net-zero goals explored in depth by engineering.com
A webinar given by Prof. Marianne Hatzopoulou on December 2, 2020 for the U of T Engineering Skule Lunch & Learn Seminar Series is featured in an in-depth article by engineering.com.Read more
December 17, 2020
Classrooms, air quality and COVID-19: What steps are Canadian school boards taking to improve ventilation?
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“Going into winter, ventilation is going to be a hard thing to do well and so it makes sense to supplement it with filtration, especially where it’s most needed, where we can’t do much with ventilation,” Prof. Jeffrey Siegel said on the issue of indoor air quality in classrooms. Read more
December 9, 2020
Hatzopoulou: The Paradox of Net-Zero: Cities, Transportation & Health
Professor Marianne Hatzopoulou presented “The Paradox of Net-Zero: Cities, Transportation & Health” on December 2, 2020 for the U of T Engineering Skule Lunch & Learn Seminar Series. Read more
