December 9, 2006

PM unveils plans to regulate, ban toxic chemicals

Carly Weeks

CanWest News Service

OTTAWA -- Prime Minister Stephen Harper unveiled on Friday an ambitious $300-million plan to crack down on some toxic chemicals that he said will make Canada a world leader and could result in products being pulled off shelves and substances being banned from use in Canada.

The new initiative will put the onus on industry to prove chemicals they use are safe and don't harm humans, or else face a possible ban from use in the country.

Ottawa has also created a "virtual-elimination list" of chemicals that won't be permitted for use in the country and added on Friday the first substances.

"The accumulation of exposure to these chemicals is worrisome. That's why the government is acting, and that's why there will be restrictions and eliminations over time and industry will have to adjust," Harper said at a news conference at the Ottawa General Hospital. "I can't guarantee to you that this means that we won't lose some kinds of products or some prices as a consequence."

Part of the plan involves assessing 200 chemicals that may be harmful to human health or the environment.

The government will evaluate these chemicals over a three-year period by grouping 15 to 30 substances together for staggered six-month consultation periods, before deciding what, if any, action to take.

Although this means it could take years for new and potentially dangerous substances to be regulated or banned in Canada under the new plan, Harper said the government has time because such toxic chemicals are only harmful after prolonged exposure.

"There's levels of risk, levels of exposure and there may be ways of using or managing those chemicals to minimize or eliminate the risk," he said. "The concerns in these cases are not immediate. They're with exposure to chemicals over long periods of time, so we do have the time to look at the best way of proceeding."

But potentially harmful chemicals do pose a short-term threat and need immediate attention before they do any more damage to Canadians, according to environmentalists present for Harper's announcement.

"These things are better out of our systems as fast as possible," said Ken Ogilvie, executive director of Pollution Probe, a national environmental advocacy group. "I don't think there's time to delay on many of these."

Dr. Rick Smith, executive director of advocacy group Environmental Defence, said while three years is a long time, the government is held back by legal and other red-tape constraints. Butwhen the process is complete, it should benefit Canadians, he said.

"This sends a very clear message to the private sector," he said. "The writing is on the wall for these toxic chemicals."

While Ogilvie hailed Harper's plan as a step forward in terms of protecting the health of Canadians, he said he is concerned the government won't follow through and take the tough action needed to get dangerous substances out of consumer products and other goods.

"The danger is the government caves in, and this has happened on environmental issues many times before," he said.

"The government's going to be tested on this rather rapidly ... We're going to be able to hold them accountable fairly quickly to whether they're moving on these substances."

Canadians likely won't notice a difference in the household products, cosmetics or other goods they buy because safe alternatives already exist that companies will be able to use in the event some chemicals are banned, Ogilvie said.

Harper said the federal government will invest $300 million over four years on the plan. While it's a significant amount, Harper said the program will eventually save money by reducing the public health burden and the cost of cleaning up contaminated sites.

Under the plan, Ottawa will use a previously assembled categorization of more than 20,000 chemicals as a guide for future action.

That will help the government quickly screen and seek public comment on lower-risk substances that aren't believed to pose a threat to human health or the environment, Environment Minister Rona Ambrose said Friday.

The plan will impose tougher restrictions on 150 hazardous chemicals that aren't currently used in Canada and force the industry to prove they are safe before they're ever allowed to be used again in the country.

The government also plans to eliminate chemicals that are known to harm human health from use in Canada and added three substances to the list Friday.

One chemical, 2-Methoxyethanol, is used primarily as an industrial solvent and by the military as an anti-icing agent for yet fuel.

It can have negative effects on fetus development, even if the chemical levels are not toxic to the mother.

The European Union has banned any products containing the toxic substance for sale since 1994, while France banned the substance from household products in 1997 and cosmetics in 1998.