Canada: Environmental Commissioner Report

Last week, Canada's Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development made his fall report to Parliament. The report contained four chapters, the second of which was devoted to an examination of Canada's toxic substances regulatory regime. The link to the chapter can be found here. The chapter was based on an audit of seven substances on the Canadian Toxic Substances List (lead, mercury, DEHP, PCBs, dioxins and furans, dichloromethane, and PBDEs) and involved an audit of how Environment Canada and Health Canada have managed the risks associated with these substances. Among the conclusions and recommendations from the Commissioner are: (a) the need for comprehensive risk management strategies for mercury and lead; and (b) concern about lack of cautionary labelling re: chronic (as opposed to acute) risks associated with consumer products.

Bisphenol-A: Recent Coverage

The ongoing media coverage of BPA continues. The most recent coverage deals with a study of 634 male workers in China exposed to high levels of BPA in the workplace. The study was the first to examine the impact of prolonged occupational exposure to BPA on humans. The five-year study, published in the journal Human Reproduction, revealed that the men exposed to BPA were four times more likely to have erectile dysfunction, and seven times more likely to have ejaculation problems. The study itself recognizes that the results probably have no application to populations exposed to low levels of BPA. Nevertheless, the study results were picked up by many print media outlets in North America.