In light of this kind of report, what the Bush administration is
proposing to do with the clean air and water acts appears criminal in
intent.

----- Original Message -----
From: "M.Schild" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2006 5:11 AM
Subject: Toxic chemicals in Canada


> Harmful Toxic Chemicals Pollute Blood of Canadians
> Groundbreaking Toxic Nation report reveals pollution inside people
> across
> Canada
> Ottawa , Ontario -  A cocktail of harmful toxic chemicals has been
> found
> inside every person tested in a Canada-wide study, released today by
> Environmental Defence. Two volunteers were tested in British
> Columbia , one
> in Alberta , one in Manitoba , three in Ontario , three in Quebec
> and one in
> Newfoundland and Labrador .
> The groundbreaking report, Toxic Nation: A Report on Pollution in
> Canadians ,
> reveals that toxic chemicals, such as DDT, PCBs, stain repellants,
> flame
> retardants, mercury and lead, are contaminating Canadians. Many of
> the
> chemicals discovered in the bodies of Canadians are associated with
> cancer,
> hormone disruption, reproductive disorders, respiratory illnesses
> and harming
> the development of children.
> The report is the first in Canada to test for a broad range of
> chemicals in
> average Canadians from across the country, and it demonstrates that
> toxic
> chemicals contaminate people no matter where they live, how old they
> are or
> what they do for a living.
> "If you can walk, talk and breathe , you're contaminated," said Dr.
> Rick
> Smith, Executive Director, Environmental Defence. "Canadians are
> exposed
> everyday and in incredibly insidious ways to harmful toxic
> chemicals. We are
> guinea pigs in a massive, uncontrolled, chemical experiment, the
> disastrous
> outcome of which is measured in disease and death."
> Toxic Nation: A Report on Pollution in Canadians tested the blood
> and urine of
> 11 volunteers from Salt Spring Island in British Columbia to St.
> John's in
> Newfoundland and Labrador . Working with qualified laboratories in
> Quebec and
> Texas , Environmental Defence tested the volunteers for 88
> individual
> chemicals. The laboratories found a total of 60 of the 88 chemicals
> tested
> (68 per cent), including 53 chemicals that can cause reproductive
> disorders
> and harm the development of children, 41 suspected cancer-causing
> chemicals,
> 27 chemicals that can disrupt the hormone system and 21 chemicals
> associated
> with respiratory illnesses. On average, 44 chemicals were found in
> each
> volunteer.
> "I think of myself as a healthy person, so of course I found my test
> results
> to be unsettling. No one wants to learn that they have heavy metals,
> PCBs or
> other toxic chemicals in their blood," said Nycole Turmel, National
> President
> of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, based in Ottawa . "But
> more
> importantly, my tests results have underlined for me the importance
> of
> strengthening CEPA. We need a pollution law with teeth - one that is
> comprehensive and enforceable. We need a law that will hold
> polluters
> accountable and help create a cleaner environment." The Toxic Nation
> study
> found 51 chemicals in Nycole Turmel.
> "I am very alarmed by the results of my blood tests for pollutants,"
> said
> David Masty, Chief of the Whapmagoostui First Nation in northern
> Quebec .
> "The movement of pollutants through the atmosphere is a reality we
> are
> concerned about in the North as it harms our lands, waters and air,
> and
> affects the wildlife resources we depend on for our way of life. If
> other
> countries have taken action to reduce or eliminate some pollutants,
> Canada
> should follow suit." The study found 51 chemicals in David Masty.
> Chief Masty had the highest levels of mercury and persistent organic
> pollutants such as PCBs and organochlorine pesticides. These
> findings support
> the fact that many chemicals tend to accumulate in the North,
> despite the
> distance from most stationary sources of industrial pollution.
> The levels of some chemicals detected in the volunteers suggest that
> effective
> regulation to ban the most harmful toxic substances can reduce the
> pollution
> in people over time. Older volunteers in the Toxic Nation study had
> higher
> levels of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), which were banned in
> Canada in
> 1977, than the younger volunteers.
> "Participating in this testing program was very important to me,"
> said artist
> and naturalist Robert Bateman, from his home on Salt Spring Island .
> "Not
> only am I curious about my own chemical contamination, but it is
> even more
> vital that the public as a whole pays attention." The Toxic Nation
> study
> found 48 chemicals in Robert Bateman.
> Toxic Nation: A Report on Pollution in Canadians calls on the
> federal
> government to ensure Canadians receive the same level of protection
> from
> toxic chemicals as Europeans and Americans, two jurisdictions that
> are on
> their way to being well ahead of Canada in regulating harmful
> chemicals.
> With the mandated five-year review of Canada 's national pollution
> law - the
> Canadian Environmental Protection Act  (CEPA) - Environmental
> Defence calls
> on the federal government to:
> virtually eliminate the use of toxic chemicals, starting with some
> of the most
> harmful: brominated flame retardants (PBDEs), perfluorinated
> chemicals and
> their precursors (PFOS), and phthalates (chemicals that make
> plastics soft);
> make industry accountable for its chemicals;
> regulate chemicals in consumer products through CEPA; and,
> create a special section in CEPA to focus on pollution reduction in
> the Great
> Lakes basin.
> Individual Canadians can also act to reduce their exposure to
> harmful toxic
> chemicals by taking the Chemical Reduction Pledge on the Toxic
> Nation web
> site - www.toxicnation.ca . By filling out the pledge, people can
> choose five
> ways to reduce their exposure to chemicals through simple changes in
> their
> daily lives. The Toxic Nation test volunteers made individual
> Chemical
> Reduction Pledges which are available to view online at
> www.toxicnation.ca/pollutioninyou.
> "Our report demonstrates clearly the urgent need for the federal
> government to
> act now to break the cycle of human contamination," said Dr. Smith.
> "The
> federal Minister of the Environment has a new deadline: when can we
> expect,
> as a society, to be able to produce toxin-free babies?"
> Toxic Nation: A Report on Pollution in Canadians,  including test
> results of
> the individual volunteers from across Canada , is available for free
> on the
> Toxic Nation web site: www.toxicnation.ca .
> About Environmental Defence:  Environmental Defence protects the
> environment
> and human health. We research. We educate. We go to court when we
> have to.
> All in order to ensure clean air, safe food and thriving ecosystems.
> Nationwide.
>
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