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Paving the Way Towards a Comprehensive Toxic Use Reduction Strategy
by Connie Uetrecht, Executive Director, OPHA
Ontarians are exposed to hundreds of chemicals every day through the air we breathe, the food and water we consume, and the things we handle. Some of these chemicals have the potential to cause adverse health effects and may play a role in the development of chronic diseases such as cancer.
The Ontario Public Health Association is participating in the Environment and Cancer Stakeholder Group, which is advocating that the Province of Ontario implement a comprehensive toxic use reduction strategy, with a particular focus on environmental carcinogens. Toxics use reduction is an approach to pollution prevention that targets and measures reductions in the upfront use of toxic materials. The Environment and Cancer Stakeholder Group released a gap analysis Cancer and the Environment in Ontario: Gap Analysis on the Reduction of Environmental Carcinogens [PDF, 330kb] in August 2007 which recommended:
That a comprehensive provincial regulatory strategy be developed for environmental toxics use reduction with arm's length Ontario Carcinogen Use Reduction Institute established and fully funded; That an environmental carcinogen surveillance be developed that easily links into federal databases and reports annually on regional and provincial trends; That new or existing substances be required to demonstrate that it does not pose significant environmental or health risks, before it is permitted for import, manufacture or use; That comparative assessments and chemical substitution be adopted as the means of achieving carcinogen use reduction in Ontario; That an accelerated assessment and approval process be developed for chemicals known to be of low risk; That the list of substances in the federal National Pollutant Release Inventory be amended to include environmental carcinogens; That the label on all consumer products sold in Ontario (including pesticides) clearly indicate the presence of environmental carcinogens; and, That public health standards include carcinogen use reduction, including community-based programs, policies and education.
The Province of Ontario committed to a new toxins reduction strategy in November 2007 that will include a range of measures to protect our health. The strategy will include introduction of new toxic reduction legislation to reduce pollution, inform and protect Ontarians from toxic chemicals in the air, water, land, and consumer products. The OPHA looks forward to working with the Province on this new legislation.
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