Toxic Substances Revisited

Still a long way to go

Chapter 1, 2002 Report of the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development

Ottawa, 22 October 2002 — The federal government's management of toxic substances remains inadequate, warns the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Johanne Gélinas, in her Report tabled today in the House of Commons.

The production, use, and release of industrial chemicals, pesticides, and their by products in Canada can pose serious risks to the health of Canadians and to our environment. Some chemicals are associated with health problems such as cancer, decreased fertility, and neurological disorders. "The federal government still has a long way to go to ensure that the risks that toxic substances pose to Canadians are dealt with effectively. It must increase its efforts to act on our past recommendations. The current situation regarding toxic substances is unacceptable," said Johanne Gélinas.

An earlier audit conducted in 1999 found that the federal government was not managing those risks adequately then. Today, Ms. Gélinas concludes in her follow-up audit that although some encouraging progress has been made in some areas, in others a significant number of problems identified in the original audit continue. She notes that the federal government:

• still has not completed the scientific assessment process for all the substances on its own priority lists;
• still has not imposed on major sources of emissions the controls needed to reduce the release of toxic substances into our air and water; and
• still does not know whether the tools it has to manage toxic substances actually reduce the risk to Canadians.

Future developments are equally worrisome since the government has yet to determine which of 23,000 other substances used in Canada are toxic under the Canadian Environment Protection Act (1999), and require action to reduce their emissions.

This year's audit also looked at progress in implementing recommendations regarding the federal management of pesticides. The Commissioner noted that of the 405 active ingredients used in pesticides only 17 have been re-evaluated against current health and environmental standards. "Based on our results, I still have some serious concerns about the way the federal government is managing pesticides," said Ms. Gélinas. The Commissioner announced that in light of her findings she will conduct an in-depth audit of pesticides management and report back to Parliament in the fall of 2003.

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The chapter Toxic Substances Revisited is available on the Office of the Auditor General of Canada Web site (www.oag-bvg.gc.ca/environment). It is also featured in a "Observations of the Commissioner" video, which can be obtained by calling our Office Distribution Centre at (613) 952-0213, ext.5000 or by fax at (613) 954-0696. The original audit was reported in the Commissioner's 1999 Report, Chapter 3 Understanding the Risks from Toxic Substances: Cracks in the Foundation of the Federal House and Chapter 4, Managing the Risks of Toxic Substances: Obstacles to Progress. These chapters are also available on the Office of the Auditor General of Canada Web site.

Information:

Communications
Tel.: (613) 952-0213, ext. 6292
E-mail: communications@oag-bvg.gc.ca