December 8, 2006

Tory plan targets toxins

Dennis Bueckert

Canadian Press/Toronto Star

OTTAWA — The Conservatives have bounced back from their troubles over the Clean Air Act with a new green plan targeting toxic chemicals — and this time they’re promising quick results.

The plan includes $300 million to assess 200 worrisome substances on the Canadian market, and promises to regulate the worst of them within three years.

The initiative comes amid growing scientific concern about exposure to industrial chemicals, which have been linked to everything from cancer to infertility.

“The chemicals management plan we are unveiling today will make Canada a world leader in assessing and regulating chemicals that are used in thousands of industrial and consumer products,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper told a news conference Friday.

One chemical, a carcinogenic solvent known as hexachlorobutadiene, has been slated for virtual elimination under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, the first time this legislative power has been used.

The tight timelines contrast markedly with the distant goals of the Clean Air Act, which set a reference point in 2050 for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Every three months in coming years, data on 15 to 30 substances will be released to industry and health groups for a six-month comment period.

Industry will be “challenged” to provide new information about how it’s managing these substances.

That’s a partial move toward what environmentalists call reverse onus: requiring industry to prove products are safe rather than requiring government to prove they’re unsafe.

“We’ve identified products that are of concern to us and we’ll continue to do so,” said Health Minister Tony Clement in an interview. “The onus will be on industry to have the dialogue with us immediately.”

The plan calls for stricter regulation of contaminants in food, disposal of pharmaceuticals and personal-care products, labelling of cosmetics ingredients and closer monitoring of possible chemical health impacts.

Beaming environmentalists said the government is working hard to renew its environmental credentials after the poor reception given its climate policies.

“It’s probably a good thing they got pasted on the Clean Air Act,” said Ken Ogilvie, executive director of Pollution Probe. ``This is their opportunity to do something significant.”

Rick Smith of Environmental Defence said the plan will send a powerful signal to industry. “The writing is on the wall for these toxic chemicals.”

Smith said the naming of the first chemical for elimination is as important as the announcement of a new national park. Ken Kyle of the Canadian Cancer Society called it a good day for public health.

“No Canadian should be exposed to cancer-causing substances. It’s a comprehensive plan, more money is being put into it, and the chemicals will be evaluated a lot quicker.”

The announcement follows a seven-year effort to identify dangerous substances among the 23,000 chemicals available in Canada. The review was completed in September.