Toxic pollutants kill up to 25,000 Canadians annually: B.C. study
Last Updated: Wednesday, October 3, 2007 | 8:45 AM PT
CBC News
Canadians are awash in toxic chemicals that are held responsible for 24,000 new cases of cancer annually and for low birth weights in 2,500 babies, a researcher at the University of British Columbia says.
Toxins in air pollution, pesticides, dioxins, heavy metals and household cleaning agents are also killing between 10,000 to 25,000 Canadians annually, said David Boyd, the lead author of a UBC study published this week in Environmental Research.
"There are many contaminants individuals simply can't avoid. They're invisible. We can't see them. We can't smell them. We can't taste them," Boyd told CBC News Tuesday.
"The onus must be on government to do a better job of protecting Canadians from these hazards," he said.
Boyd's paper crunches numbers from Canadian health statistics sources, using a methodology employed by the World Health Organization. The research is the first "environmental burden of disease" study in Canada, the university said.
While the science is likely to be debated, Guy Dauncey, co-chair of the non-profit group Prevent Cancer Now, said there's ample evidence that Boyd's study is pointing in the right direction.
"This is both shocking and exactly what we have feared is happening," he said. "We know for instance, that a brand-new baby typically, out of the womb, has over 230 industrial chemicals in its blood, 190 of which have been linked to cancer."
On Sept. 17, Boyd, along with B.C. environmentalist David Suzuki, called on Ottawa to create a national environmental health strategy.
Boyd said he hopes his new data could nudge Ottawa in the direction of reducing the toxic load in the lives of Canadians.
"One of the big hurdles is just the Canadian cultural mythology about us being a clean and pristine nation," Boyd said. "The scientific evidence shows that that's simply not the case, but sometimes it's hard to let go of these myths."
Share Tools
Latest British Columbia News Headlines
- Stanley Cup rioter seen in brick attack on cop
- Vancouver police have released video of a suspect who hit an officer in the head with a two-kilogram brick during the Stanley Cup riot. more »
- HIV-positive B.C. man jailed for assault, child porn
- A HIV-positive Vancouver man has been sentenced to 39 months in prison for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy and distributing massive amounts of child pornography. more »
- Court injunction halts Invermere deer cull
- The Invermere Deer Protection Organization has successfully halted an urban deer cull, through a temporary court injunction against the District of Invermere. more »
- Osoyoos Times apologizes for 'slanderous' RCMP article
- The editor of the Osoyoos Times is apologizing after writing a scathing editorial that alleged he was disrespected and humiliated by a local RCMP officer. Keith Lacey now says his actions were inappropriate and he is "deeply sorry." more »
Top News Headlines
- Whitney Houston's body headed home to New Jersey
- Whitney Houston's body was flown out of Los Angeles, and headed to New Jersey, where her family was making arrangements for a funeral at the end of the week. more »
- Mandatory gun sentence struck down by Ontario judge
- An Ontario Superior Court judge has struck down a mandatory minimum sentence for a first offence of possessing a loaded firearm. more »
- Online surveillance critics siding with child porn: Toews
- Critics of a bill that would give law enforcement new powers to access Canadians' electronic communications are aligning themselves with child pornographers, Canada's public safety minister says. more »
- Low vitamin D in womb tied to poor language skills
- Children born to women who had low levels of vitamin D during their pregnancy are more likely to have language problems, a new study suggests. more »
- 'Disgusting' court backlog may free hit and run accused
- B.C. premier delivers talk show 'throne speech'
- Former Stanley Park petting zoo goats feared slaughtered
- Adults-only trade show cancelled in B.C. Bible belt
- Vancouver police release Stanley Cup riot suspect video
- Crane drops section of Port Mann bridge into B.C. river
- No cameras allowed at Vancouver riot trial
- Osoyoos Times apologizes for 'slanderous' RCMP article
- B.C. Mountie pleads not guilty in fatal Delta crash

