December 9, 2006

Ottawa cracks down on toxic chemicals
Tough new rules will force industry to prove safety

Bruce Campion-Smith

Toronto Star, Ottawa Bureau

OTTAWA —Some products will disappear off store shelves and the price of others could rise as Ottawa moves to tighten regulations around toxic chemicals now commonly used in households and industry.

"The measures we're pursuing today will lead over time to the restriction or elimination of some of these chemicals in these products," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said yesterday as he announced the new rules.

"I don't want to cause alarm because they don't pose an immediate health (risk) through use today but the accumulation of exposure to these chemicals is worrisome."

The government yesterday put one industrial solvent, hexachlorobutadiene, on its list to be eliminated under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. It also announced that thousands more chemicals would be put under the microscope out of fears about their impact on human health.

Over time, it's expected that scores more will be added to the list for elimination and regulation tightened over the others.

"Industry will have to adjust," Harper said.

"I can't guarantee to you that this means that we won't lose some kinds of products or some prices as a consequence may rise in the future," he said during a news conference at the Ottawa General Hospital.

The announcement follows an exhaustive seven-year scientific survey of the 23,000 chemical compounds, not including pesticides, now used in Canada to identify the most dangerous.

Environment Canada did not respond to a phone call seeking clarification about the compounds that pose the greatest risk or the products in which they're used.

But Environment Minister Rona Ambrose yesterday singled out the chemicals that go into some stain repellents and flame retardants for being harmful to wildlife and "potentially" humans, too.

"We will insist on additional protective action. In some cases, we may demand substitute products or formulations," said Ambrose, who joined Harper and Health Minister Tony Clement for the announcement.

It will take months, even years, for the true impact of the announcement to be felt as Ottawa puts the onus on industry to prove that the chemicals flagged for further examination are safe to use.

As well, Clement said 200 older pesticides are being re-evaluated to ensure "they meet modern standards."

He said the government has closed a regulatory loophole by preventing 150 chemicals not currently in use in Canada from being reintroduced.

Rick Smith, executive director of Environmental Defence, said the announcement was as significant as naming a new national park or protecting an endangered species.

"This sends a very clear message to chemical manufacturers," said Smith, whose Toronto-based activist group is known for measuring chemical residues in prominent Canadians.

"The writing is on the wall for these toxic chemicals. These things are in consumer products in our homes, they're in the food that we eat, these things are regularly included in seemingly innocuous around our homes and office."

Ken Ogilvie of Pollution Probe said the promise of $300 million over the next four years for the project is also vital to expand the capacity of the government to better evaluate chemicals and their impact.

"The government has been terribly under-resourced on the screening side ... and we have very old information on the substances that were categorized so there's a lot of work to be done."

While the work had begun under the previous Liberal regime, anti-pollution activists gave the Conservative government credit for the announcement.