mithridates
Joined: 03 Mar 2003
Location: President's office, Korean Space Agency
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 Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2006 5:40 pm Post subject: Harper government to ban and restrict toxic chemicals |
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Looks like everybody's happy:
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Harper gov't to ban and restrict toxic chemicals
Updated Fri. Dec. 8 2006 6:15 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has announced a "substantial investment in public funds" to clean up dangerous chemicals in the environment.
The government has pledged $300 million towards assessing 200 potentially harmful substances on the market, and regulate the most toxic within the next few years.
"I am proud to say we will become a world leader because of today's announcement," Harper said Friday.
The list of chemicals includes some already proven harmful to animals and suspected to be potentially harmful to human health.
Harper made his announcement at the Ottawa General Hospital, after touring the facility's new "Breathing Space House" -- a prototype home for people with environmental sensitivities.
Environmentalist groups were largely positive about Harper's plan, in a notably different reaction from when the government outlined its troubled Clean Air Act.
"We were very pleased with the announcement," Aaron Freeman, an activist and lawyer with Environmental Defence, told CTV's Mike Duffy Live.
"We think it's a very important step in dealing with some of the most substances that are in our environment, and that pose a threat to the environment and our own health."
Opposition MPs also welcomed the proposal, including NDP member Peggy Nash.
"Do I think it's good to restrict potentially cancer-causing chemicals? Of course I do," she said.
But Nash added that the government has cut money to Health Canada for the enforcement of health regulations for a variety of products.
"If there's going to be a greater responsibility for enforcement for our health, we'd better back it up with the money to go with it," she said.
Environment Minister Rona Ambrose said the new chemicals management program would provide Canadians with information about the chemicals in the products they choose.
A list of more suspect chemicals will be released in groups of 15 to 30, every two to three months.
Industry and stakeholders will be required, within six months, to provide information to the government about the chemicals.
"If we're not satisfied, industry will be required to take action," Ambrose said. "In some instances, we may require industry to provide alternate materials."
Ambrose released the name of the first chemical to be placed on the list: hexafluorobutadiene.
Health Minister Tony Clement said chemicals not yet approved for the Canadian marketplace will be included in another list.
The announcement follows a seven-year effort under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act to identify dangerous substances among the 23,000 chemicals available in Canada.
Ambrose explained that since 1994, new chemicals have not been manufactured in Canada or imported here without undergoing a scientific risk evaluation.
Now that same assessment will be applied to chemicals introduced to Canada between January 1, 1984, and December 31, 1986. |
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