Executive Summary
Risk management of chlorinated substances which are harmful to human health and the environment is a challenging issue. Canada’s approach to the management of toxic chlorinated substances is outlined in the Chlorinated Substances Action Plan (CSAP). This approach is based on the scientific community’s conclusion that current evidence does not support a complete ban on all uses and releases of chlorine and chlorinated substances. However, there is scientific evidence that the use or release of certain toxic chlorinated substances should be virtually eliminated or significantly reduced. Simply put, the approach is to "prune the chlorine-use tree, not cut it down".
Persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chlorinated substances represent a serious threat to human health and the environment. These substances require immediate and aggressive action to achieve virtual elimination of their release to the environment. Other toxic chlorinated substances are being managed through-out their life cycles to prevent or minimize their release.
The Chlorinated Substances Action Plan is part of an overall federal strategy to protect human health and the environment from the effects of toxic substances. This science-based action plan includes both regulatory and non-regulatory measures targeting chlorinated substances of concern. It is an important component of Canada’s domestic and international efforts to address those substances that threaten our health and the environment.
Pollution prevention is at the core of the CSAP. It has long been recognized that avoiding the creation of pollution, rather than having to clean it up after it has been created, is a far more sustainable way of doing business. Pollution prevention as the priority approach to environmental protection is entrenched in the new Canadian Environmental Protection Act 1999 (CEPA 1999), which came into force on March 31, 2000.
The CSAP has five components. What follows are examples of the progress that has been achieved in each component of the Plan.
Targeting critical uses and products
Regulatory actions taken in the past are now showing results. For example, the Pulp and Paper Effluent Regulations (1992) under the Fisheries Act have reduced releases of chlorinated dioxins and furans from that source by more than 98 per cent. As a result, many commercial fisheries previously closed because of dioxin contamination in coastal British Columbia are now reopened.
A number of other regulations under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) have targeted chlorinated sub-stances. There are bans or phase-outs under way in Canada for carbon tetra-chloride (1995), methyl chloroform (1996), chloromethyl methyl ether and bis(chloromethyl)ether (1996) and chlorofluorcarbons (1993/1996).
In 1998, 12 chlorinated substances were confirmed as Track 1 substances under the federal Toxic Substances Management Policy. Track 1 substances are persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic (PBT) and predominantly released from human activities and are slated for virtual elimination. Regulations which are now being developed under CEPA 1999 will lead to significant reductions in releases of trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene and dichloromethane.
Regulatory actions are also being complemented by non-regulatory initiatives, such as the Accelerated Reduction/Elimination of Toxics (ARET) program. A number of formal environmental agreements and memoranda of understanding with industries such as automotive and auto parts manufacturing, printing and graphics, and dry cleaning have also resulted in significant reductions of a number of toxic chlorinated substances.
Improving scientific understanding
Extensive studies are being conducted to monitor and increase the understanding of the effects of chlorinated substances on wildlife. Collaborative studies among universities, industry and federal departments are investigating concerns ranging from liver and endocrine disruption in polar bears, to infertility and deformity rates in Great Lakes ring-billed gulls.
Our understanding of the impacts of chlorinated substances on health and the environment is also being improved as a result of environmental effects monitoring of pulp and paper effluents and other scientific studies. These include: research on dioxin and furan emissions from power boilers on the West Coast; organochlorines in organisms and sediment; atmospheric transport; deposition and accumulation of persistent chlorinated substances; chlorinated substances in the Great Lakes; and sources and effects of endocrine modulating substances.
Studying public health and socio-economic effects
Various studies are under way to explore the health, social and economic implications of chlorinated substances and their alternatives. Health Canada is measuring the levels and effects of chlorinated substances in foods and human tissue through a number of health assessment and human exposure studies. The results will help to identify high-risk population groups and to develop effective measures for health protection and risk reduction.
Socio-economic analyses are also being conducted on the use of chlorinated substances and alternatives. The results will assist in the decision-making process when measures are proposed to control the use and release of chlorinated substances.
Better informing the Canadian public
Canadians are able to get valuable information on the extent and location of the releases of many chlorinated substances through the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI). Emitters of the 35 chlorinated substances listed on the NPRI are required to report their releases annually. In 1997, some 190 facilities reported releases of chlorinated substances to the NPRI.
The Internet is an excellent source of information on impacts of chlorine and chlorinated substances on human health and the environment. The CSAP, NPRI reports and database, the State of the Environment Report and ARET reports are some of the resources available on Environment Canada’s Green Lane at http://www.ec.gc.ca. Additional information on the human health implications of chlorinated substances is available on Health Canada’s Internet site at http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca.
Promoting and leading international efforts
Canada promotes and leads international efforts to curtail the use and release of harmful toxic substances, and to encourage precaution in the use of chlorine-containing compounds. An Environment Canada official was elected to chair the International Negotiating Committee under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. The Committee’s task is to develop a protocol to control the release and transport of persistent organic pollutants.
Canada and the United States have endorsed a binational toxics strategy that seeks to protect and ensure the health and integrity of the Great Lakes ecosystem. Eleven persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chlorinated substances are targeted for virtual elimination under the strategy.
Chlorinated substances are also addressed by a number of other international initiatives in which Canada is an active participant. These include: the United Nations Environmental Programme; the Global Program of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities; and the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program under the Arctic Council.
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