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"An estimated 2,000 hospitalizations in Waterloo Region between 2002 and 2006 and several hundreds of deaths can be attributed to poor air quality and exposure to certain pollutants," said Popy Dimoulasâ€" Graham, an epidemiologist with the region who authored the report. f you‘re having trouble breathing the Iregion's smogâ€"filled air, you‘re not alone, according to a recent study done by the Region of Waterloo‘s Public Health Unit. Study reveals alarming effects of bad air quality By Bos VRBANAC Chronicle Staff â€" the air is the air we breathe. In the last five to 10 years we‘ve seen how air quality is actualâ€" ly linked to increased hospitalization and increased mortality." The report, tabled at regional council, was a call to action from local health officials who argued there are things that the local community can do to cut down on the numâ€" ber of bad air days in the region that go beyond waiting on provincial, national or international action to do something about it. number of people affected by it is projected to go up. â€" s "We‘ve certainly seen a trend of more smog advisory days," said Nolan. "And on some airâ€"quality indicators we‘ve seen a greater deterioration over time." Nolan said there is a belief that the polluâ€" tion comes from somewhere else. That‘s not necessarily true according to the research the region‘s done. s Numbers from the Ministry of the Enviâ€" ronment show air pollution comes fronf a variety of sources beyond the stuff that WATERLOO CHRONICLE + Wednesday, March 5, 2008 » 5 blows in from our neighbours to the south, the United States. The residential sector, things we do around our own homes, contributes 32 per cent of the total pollutants and particulate matter that ends up in the air. The transâ€" portation sector accounts for another 20 per cent. So while the area waits for the province to close its coalâ€"fired energy generation plants by 2017, there are things that local residents Continued on page 6