Overview: From the perspective of pollution from toxic fine particulate matter (PM2.5), Kingston’s air quality for the first nine months of 2026 was 6.3 µg/m3, slightly higher than the overall average of the previous six years. That is 26% above the WHO-recommended limit of 5.0 µg/m3 and, as you can see from the chart on our Health Impacts page, well above the threshold for causing increased mortality among Kingstonians. Kingston’s PM2.5 levels have exceeded that limit in 59 of the past 82 months, often much worse. Wildfire season is essentially over in Canada but continues unabated in the USA, due to a combination of fossil-fuel-driven global heating and the Trump Administation’s slashing of funding for the US Wildland Fire Service. As usual, the vast majority of the airborne toxins to which we Canadians are exposed came from the USA, rendering Trump’s punishing Canada with tariffs for the short period at the height of our much-shorter wildfire season during which Canadian smoke blew south over the border yet another example of his characteristic sick hypocracy. Given that we have absolutely no levers to influence US-generated pollution, all we can do is to limit how much gets into our lungs by taking some of the measures suggested in our Self-Protection page. Do you know others who might benefit from more awareness of the reality of our air quality and how they can better protect their health? If so, please share this link: https://kingstonairquality.ca.
by Ron Hartling
The purpose of this site is to raise awareness of the uncomfortable reality that, with respect to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), Kingston air quality is consistently worse than the World Health Organization (WHO) standard. The site gives practical advice on managing household exposure to health-damaging particulates. Updates are posted daily around 7 am but the satellite view below shows the current Kingston reading at any time of day. If you live elsewhere, just click at your location on the map. For ease of personal decision-making, overall daily risk levels are categorized by severity in the table to the right.
Note that, while most Canadian and US sources define Risk Level 1 as airborne fine-particulate-matter (PM2.5) concentrations less than 12 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m3), I employ “Level 0” to differentiate readings within the far more evidence-based, less politically-influenced WHO healthy zone. Click on the Health impacts page for clarification on the critical differences between short- and long-term exposure risks.
Commentary as of Friday October 16 at 6:45 am
Yesterday’s readings: Kingston’s hourly PM2.5 readings were even healthier than predicted yesterday, remaining between 1 and 3 µg/m3 for the entire day. Our daily average of 1.5 µg/m3 was one of the two lowest over the past two years. Overnight readings were 2 and 3 µg/m3.
Forecast for today: Readings will likely remain within the comparatively-healthy Level-0 range for most of today, with incursions into the low end of the Level-1 range possible this morning.
Detailed forecast: Environment Canada’s 24-hour Kingston forecast calls for unusually variable winds: mostly southwesterly this morning, full westerly in the early afternoon and then northwesterly for the remainder of the forecast period. Meanwhile, the high-altitude Jetstream will flow southwesterly somewhat to our north. As you can see from the satellite view, Eastern Ontario is uncomfortably close to a Level-1 particulate upwelling from New England but the dominant airflow around the Great Lakes is relatively clean.
Personal protective measures: No such measures should be needed today and hopefully not tomorrow.
As of 6:20 am, this satellite view of PM2.5 fine particulate flows over North America showed further air-quality improvement over much of the continent thanks to a strong influx of clean northern air. There is an unusually sharp line of demarcation running from Texas all the way to the St. Lawrence river, below which the perennial southern US industrial emissions and their unprecedented wildfire smoke is being kept close to its places of origin. The UBC Firesmoke model shows 25 Canadian wildfires but well in excess of 400 in the USA. Eastern Ontario is now uncomfortably close to a particulate upwelling from New England.
Summary of Recent Readings
This table summarizes and provides context for the most recent three weeks of Kingston PM2.5 airborne fine particulate readings. The key numbers are, of course, the daily averages because that’s what informs us how our recent exposures have contributed to or ameliorated whatever annual exposure to toxic particulates we are comfortable with or accepting of. For those who choose to lower their at-home exposure in order to better protect their and their households’ long-term health, the numbers provide important information on how much effort may be required to stay within their comfort levels.
To facilitate that analysis, the table also computes each day’s risk category (usually a mix of 0’s, 1’s and 2’s), as well as 7- and 28-day running averages and medians. It also reports on the minimum and maximum readings for each day, as well as on the number of hours that day during which Kingston PM2.5 readings may have exceeded either or both the World Health Organization’s recommended maximum and the seriously outdated and therefore misleading US/Canadian equivalent.