OTTAWA - Canada needs to adopt a national environmental health strategy to address how contaminants in the air and water are affecting the public's wellbeing, says a new report to be released Tuesday by the David Suzuki Foundation.
The report, written by B.C. environmental lawyer David Boyd, will be presented at the Canadian Public Health Association conference in Ottawa.
Entitled "Prescription for a Healthy Canada," Boyd's report says Canada lags behind other countries - including the United States and Australia - in monitoring how environmental contaminants affect children, as well as the diseases they cause.
He adds that Canada has weaker standards than other countries on the use of pesticides and the amount of pesticide residues allowed on produce.
One of his key recommendations is that Canada strengthen its laws, regulations and policies to transfer the onus onto industry for proving "beyond a reasonable doubt" that their products are safe. He also advocates the use of the "substitution principle," where manufacturers are required to use products with safer alternatives.
"We must adopt a preventative and precautionary approach to our future. There are safer substitutes for most, if not all, of the toxic chemicals currently being used and released into the environment," Boyd writes.
"These safer substitutes would save lives, prevent illnesses, protect ecosystems and benefit our economy."
Other recommendations include:
- improving research and monitoring of the effects of contaminants on the public, through blood, urine and other tests. The information should go into a national tracking system.
- Educational and medical institutions should ensure that there is professional development in the area of environmental health.
- The federal government should make sure it supports international laws aimed at phasing out certain toxins and contaminants such as mercury and asbestos.
The federal government recently moved to stiffen regulations on air contaminants with its latest environmental plan.
