September 14, 2006

Long list of toxins to be completed today

Mike De Souza

CanWest News Service

OTTAWA - Nearly 23,000 toxic chemicals are to be evaluated by the federal government today, giving the Conservatives their first chance to prove they are serious about fighting pollution.

The toxins' list could include a variety of air pollutants as well as carcinogens found in everyday household products such as non-stick pans, water and baby bottles, or even in mattresses and wrinkle-resistant sheets. The government is required to produce the list under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, adopted in 1999.

"Dealing with the legacy of unassessed chemicals is an issue that all countries are grappling with,'' said John Arseneau, director general of science and risk assessment at Environment Canada. "But Canada is the first country, now, to have completed such a systematic review so that we can now have a comprehensive database to those chemicals that were in use.''

While Arseneau refused to provide detailed results of the analysis, he said the scientists from the Environment and Health Departments have already submitted their list for the government to use in an upcoming action plan to be released over the next month.

"This is really a world-leading exercise and event, and I'd have to say it really positions Canada very well for deciding in an intelligent way its future priorities with respect to protecting Canadians and their environment and that the categorization will be leading to a more elaborated action plan within the coming weeks.''

The government's response to the list could provide an opening for it to begin rolling announcements on the environment in the next few weeks.

While the federal Conservatives have been criticized by environmental groups for backing away from Canada's international commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto protocol, a taxpayer funded study has advised them that they can use environmental policy announcements as a "wedge issue'' to boost their popularity.

In briefings held last month for various stakeholders, senior Environment Canada officials revealed the government was focused on developing a clean air act to deal with air pollution. But they gave no indication about setting strict targets and regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the fight against climate change. The officials said their priority was on measures that promote better health, particularly in children.

Environment Minister Rona Ambrose also indicated last spring her government would develop a new air quality health index with other levels of government and partners to help the population deal with air pollution and smog.

"This health-information tool will be the first of its kind in the world,'' Ambrose said in a speech last June. "It will empower Canadians to protect their health from the negative effects of air pollution, much like the UV Index helps us protect ourselves from the harmful effects of too much sun.''

Ambrose's spokesperson Ryan Sparrow said the minister would also examine the new list of toxins and take action, based on her powers under environmental protection legislation.

Environmentalists argue that the minority Conservative government must act immediately to honour its commitment from the throne speech to deliver "tangible'' pollution reduction.

"Tangibility means measurability. It means timely,'' said Rick Smith, executive director of Environmental Defence. "So that is the yardstick that the government has invited Canadians to hold it to, and that's what we're going to do.''

Smith said Canada is falling behind other jurisdictions that already have regulations when it comes to some of the toxic substances in question.

"There are bans in place in many parts of the U.S. and most of the European Union,'' said Smith. "So Canada is falling farther, and farther behind with the rest of the world when it comes to dealing with this kind of pollution.''