Air Quality: Sudbury

To help ensure the safety and comfort of the surrounding community, our Emission Reduction Program (ERP) helps us monitor and manage ground-level sulfur dioxide concentrations downwind of our Sudbury operations. 

Here’s how it works: We use weather data from two meteorological towers and other sources to produce predictive models of downwind ground-level concentrations of sulfur dioxide, and use that information to control our smelting and refining operations accordingly.

Did you know? Vale is part of the largest sulphur dioxide monitoring network in Ontario.

We use a network of 18 sulphur dioxide monitoring stations across the Greater Sudbury region. The network is owned by Vale and Glencore, and operated by an independent third party. We also operate a mobile unit, which monitors between the fixed stations and also responds to community concerns. 

Here’s how it works: Data are transmitted in real-time to our ERP Control Room, Nickel Distributed Control System (DCS) and Copper DCS, where screens display ground-level concentrations of sulfur dioxide. On the screens we can also see rolling averages for the past 60, 30 and 15-minute periods, followed by the most recent two five-minute intervals, so that members of the community can get monitoring data in real time.

Current data and reports:  

• All Station Readings of Ground Level SO2 Concentration  

• SO2 Emission Dispersion Forecast ​

• Real Time Community SO2 Concentrations 
• Daily Mobile Monitor SO2 GLC Monitoring Results ​

​​Vale maintains a comprehensive particulate monitoring program in the surrounding community. Click here to learn more.​​

See all of our air quality reports from the last quarter, as well as historic reports for the Sudbury area.​

If you have a concern about air emissions, please call the ERP Control Room at (705) 682-8283 to reach our ERP operators. For other community concerns, call Vale's Community Concerns line at 705-222-VALE (8253).