Environmental health issues must be added to the provincial government's wellness agenda, says the Conservation Council of New Brunswick.

According to a health report released by the environmental advocacy organization on Monday, between 300 and 700 New Brunswickers die every year as a result of illnesses caused by pollution, pesticides or contamination of food and water.

The council used research conducted by two Canadian scientists to compile the numbers contained in the New Brunswick report.

The research by David Boyd, an environmental lawyer and professor at Simon Fraser University, and Stephen Genuis, a medical professor at the University of Alberta, is the first of its kind to provide estimates on the environmental burden of disease.

By using an environmental risk factor analysis method developed by the World Health Organization, in conjunction with data collected from Canadian public health institutions and statistics on mortality, the co-authors determined that nationwide between 10,000 and 25,000 people die from environmental factors annually.

The cost to the health system in treating those illnesses over the same period is estimated at between $92 million and $251 million between 1999 and 2003, according to the study.

The numbers contained in the New Brunswick report were reached by using the analysis laid out by Boyd and Genuis and were later reviewed by the two scientists.

While chronic diseases have multiple causes, researchers are finding that hazards, like indoor and outdoor air pollution and exposure to pesticides and toxic substances, play an increasingly significant role in the incidence of disease, Inka Milewski, conservation council spokeswoman, said.

"There are factors, environmental factors, that are the responsibility of governments," Milewski said.

According to the conservation council report, there is growing evidence of the links between environmental hazards and health problems such as respiratory failure and certain cancers, including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Between 7.5 and 15 per cent of cardiovascular disease is a result of environmental factors, according to the report. That figure stands at 10 to 30 per cent for respiratory diseases and five to 15 per cent for cancer.

The report said that between 1,500 and 3,700 deaths in the province between 1999 and 2003 were likely rooted in environmental factors. The conservation council estimates that the illnesses have cost the provincial health system between $20 million and $50 million over that period.

"This recent report providing an estimate of the environmental burden of disease in New Brunswick is a testament to the extent of illness that may be precluded by timely and appropriate action," said Genuis, a professor at the University of Alberta.

Implementing policies that regulate air pollution and pesticide use is the responsibility of government, Mikewski said.

'Out of your control'

"They are out of my control. They are out of your control," she said. "How much air pollution you breathe in is not something I have much I can do about. Being exposed to pesticide drift from my neighbour's lawn is not something I can do much about."

New Brunswick's wellness plan focuses on changes individuals can make to improve their health but sidesteps things the government should be doing to improve the health of its citizens, Mikewski said.

The council wants the province to increase pollution prevention measures, ban cosmetic use of pesticides and foster public awareness about the role environmental factors can play in wellness.

As there is increasing discussion in medical and scientific communities about the emerging evidence of the true impacts of environmental toxins on wellness, it is important for governments to examine new policy, Genuis said.

The conservation council will make its case on Wednesday to the provincial legislature committee on wellness.