Ice arena air quality study datasets

Fossil fuel powered ice resurfacers (Zambonis) produce several pollutants, notably nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and carbon monoxide (CO). Some segments of the population that regularly use ice arenas (including children, the elderly and those with asthma and other cardiovascular and respiratory conditions) are considered susceptible to adverse health effects after exposure to these pollutants. In the winter of 2017/2018, levels of NO2 and CO were measured continuously at 3 indoor locations and outdoors for 7 days in four arenas in Ottawa and four arenas in Saskatchewan in order to better understand temporal and spatial variation in pollutant concentrations in the arenas. The second and third phases of the study were conducted from 2017-2020 and assessed pollution reduction strategies in ice arenas, including the impact of different ice resurfacer fuel types and the impact of changes in ventilation practices. In phase two of the study, levels of NO2 and CO were measured in a central indoor location and one outdoor location for 7-15 days in three Ottawa arenas and compared the levels of pollutants in the buildings when they used either electric, propane or natural gas powered ice…

Publisher

Health Canada

Resources

9

Updated

2026-07-15