Why Now?

Pollution in Canada is getting worse.

More Canadians are suffering from preventable illnesses.

Canada is lagging behind a worldwide momentum to trash toxics now.

Enough is enough. Pollution is worse than ever before and it is taking an increasing toll on human health--the evidence is being revealed daily. The international community is taking action while Canada lags sorely behind. It is time for Canada to step up.

Pollution in Canada is getting worse.

There are more harmful chemicals on the market than ever before and they are being released into the environment in increasing quantities.

In the last 50 years the global production and use of man-made chemicals has increased significantly. 80,000 new chemicals have been created, and the quantity of chemicals produced, used and released into the environment is drastically higher than a generation ago. Many of these chemicals are toxic, meaning they can cause death, disease, or birth defects in organisms that ingest or absorb them.

In Canada , there are over 23,000 chemicals registered for production and use, and the majority have not been tested for their impacts on human health, wildlife or the environment. Even chemicals that are known to cause cancer and other health problems are permitted for use by industry and in consumer products. Each year an increasing volume of toxic chemicals is released into the Canadian environment. These chemicals make their way into our bodies.

Pollutant Releases by Industry in Canada in 2003

Source: PollutionWatch analysis of data from the National Pollutant Release Inventory

Canada has one of the worst pollution records among industrialized countries.

Source: Gunton, T.I. (2005). The Maple Leaf in the OECD.

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More Canadians are suffering from preventable illnesses.  

A large body of scientific research links exposure to toxic chemicals to many diseases and disorders that plague Canadians, including:

• several forms of cancer,
• reproductive problems and birth defects,
• respiratory illnesses such as asthma, and
• neurodevelopmental disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Statistics on Canadian health trends show that the occurrence of some of these illnesses has been increasing in recent decades.

Canadian Health Statistics

*All cancer incidence rates are age standardized.
**Please see Polluted Children, Toxic Nation: A Report on Pollution in Canadian Families for references.

While exposure to toxic chemicals may not be solely or directly responsible for declining health trends among Canadians, scientific studies demonstrate a connection. Good public health standards can't wait for certainty.

The highest public health standards must be based on a precautionary approach, where if harm is suspected, preventative action is taken immediately. As our mothers often told us, 'it is better to be safe than sorry'.

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Worldwide momentum to trash toxics

While Canada drags its feet on toxic chemicals, much of the industrialized world is picking up the pace to protect human health and the environment from harmful man-made substances.

Canada straggles behind

In Canada , our government has a serious case of denial. Canada has always preferred voluntary measures that rely on industry when it comes to controlling toxic chemicals--and the results have been dismal. Under Canada 's own toxic chemicals law, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), safety testing is not required for most chemicals, industry is not accountable for its chemicals, and pollution prevention and elimination of toxics is only granted lip service. This approach to regulating toxic chemicals places an unfair burden on the public purse and leaves people vulnerable to toxic exposures. Fortunately, the law is currently under review and the opportunity exists now to bring it up to international standards. Find out more about the regulation of toxic chemicals in Canada.

International Action

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants came into force in May 2004. The Convention is an agreement to eliminate the world's most toxic chemicals. 12 chemicals were included in the original list for elimination, including dioxins, furans, PCBs, and pesticides like DDT. In 2005, five more harmful chemicals were proposed to be added to the list, including PFOS (a perfluorinated chemical), penta-BDE and hexabromobiphenyl (brominated flame retardants), the pesticides chlorodecone and the entire chemical group known as hexachlorocyclohexanes.

Europe REACHes forward

After seven years of debate, the European Parliament approved a new stringent law to regulate chemicals on December 13, 2006. The chemicals law, entitled REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation of CHemicals), requires companies to provide health and safety data on chemicals, and to phase-out the most hazardous chemicals and replace them with safer substitutions. REACH will be used to regulate over 30,000 chemicals on the European market, including chemicals used in everyday items such as cosmetics and electronics. Both domestically manufactured and imported items are covered by the legislation. REACH will come into effect in June 2007 and will be phased in over 11 years.

The European Union, which includes 25 member countries, has led the way in the management of toxic chemicals. It was first jurisdiction to place restrictions and bans on harmful chemicals such as brominated flame retardants and phthalates, and with the passing of REACH the EU has become the first to adopt a chemical law that stems from common sense.

Find out more about REACH:

• Visit the European Commision’s Directorate General for the Environment web site on REACH
• Visit WWF UK’s web page on REACH

The US steps up

In July 2005, Democratic senators in the United States introduced the Child, Worker, and Consumer-Safe Chemicals Act as an amendment to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The proposed amendment encompasses the most pro-active aspects of the European legislation, and is seen as a first step towards reforming American regulations in line with REACH. Under the proposed Act, industry would be responsible for proving the safety of their chemicals prior to gaining market access, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would gain access to business information on chemicals, and a Safer Alternatives Program and green chemistry research network would be established to support the substitution and phase-out of toxic chemicals.

Toxics Use Reduction

In 1989, Massachusetts was the first jurisdiction in North America to enact a Toxics Use Reduction Act (TURA), which set the goal of a 50% reduction in toxics by 1998. Massachusetts assisted local companies with the research and development of new technologies, which allowed the companies to not only reach the toxics reduction target but to also reap substantial financial benefits and increase their competitiveness at the same time.

Toxics Use Reduction Success in Massachusetts:

• 42% reduction in total use of toxics
• 67% reduction in toxic byproducts (wastes)
• 58% reduction in toxic chemicals shipped in products
• 92% reduction in onsite releases of toxic chemicals
• 67% of participating companies reported savings
• Savings from TURA totalled $14 million (1990-1997)

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The EU and the United States have taken different approaches in updating their chemical regulations, but both have incorporated three central components of 21st-century chemical regulation:

• shifting the burden of proof to industry to prove the safety of their new and existing chemicals,
• requiring safety data prior to market access, and
• focusing on the substitution of toxic chemicals with safer alternatives.

The CEPA Review is an opportunity to update the regulation of chemicals in Canada through amendments that follow the precedents set by REACH and the Child, Worker and Consumer-Safe Chemicals Act.

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