May 31, 2006

Health Canada to start tracking toxins in humans

Canadians can reduce their personal exposure to chemicals by buying organic foods, not using pesticides and using non-toxic cleaning products.

Canadian Press

OTTAWA — Health Canada plans a national program next year to track the levels of toxic substances in the bodies of Canadians, amid rising concern about the health effects of industrial chemicals.

Scientists have advocated a long-term biomonitoring program in which a representative sample of people are tested on a regular basis to detect trends in the chemicals that show up in their bodies and in their health status.

The announcement Wednesday came as Toronto-based Environmental Defence is about to release results from its own tests, showing contamination in the bodies of Canadian children as young as 10.

"The government of Canada takes very seriously the exposure of Canadians to environmental chemicals ... and the risks they pose to our health,'' said Health Canada spokeswoman Carolyn-Annik Sexauer.

The first national study of body levels of environmental chemicals will start in late 2007, but it was not immediately clear whether it will be permanent.

Concern about environmental contamination has been highlighted by new research showing that some chemicals can affect the body at doses so low they were undetectable 20 years ago.

Well-known toxics such as DDT and PCBs have been banned, but their place has been taken by a new generation of products that have accumulated in populations with startling speed.

Last year, Environmental Defence found traces of flame retardants and stain repellents in the blood of volunteers from every region of the country.

Critics asked why it fell to an environmental group to conduct such testing, rather than Health Canada.

Rick Smith, executive director of Environmental Defence, said Health Canada has been talking about a biomonitoring program for years, but has not been able to free the needed resources.

He expressed some skepticism about the announcement, saying: "If it's true, it's good news.''

Health Canada has typically relied on scientific literature to determine whether chemicals should be approved for use in Canada, but has done little followup research once the products are on the market.