What We Are Doing
Environmental Defence is leading the charge to protect Canadians’ health from toxic chemicals.
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Our Toxic Nation campaign has already led to tremendous successes:
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- Two private members’ bills to better regulate two different chemical groups passed in the House of Commons. One new law ban phthalates in children’s toys and products. Phthalates are used to make plastics soft, and have been associated with a range of potential health problems. The second law deals with toxic flame retardants (PBDEs). Under this law, these flame retardants will be put on Canada’s national virtual elimination list, which means the chemicals will eventually be phased out of production and use.
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- The federal government ended years of inaction and committed $300 million to better regulate toxic chemicals, complete with targets and timelines for reviewing the safety of key chemicals. One of the first up for review is bisphenol A, a chemical that mimics human hormones. Found in hard plastic baby bottles, the linings of tin cans and hard plastic beverage containers, Environmental Defence has launched a campaign to get the chemical banned.
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Environmental Defence has also succeeded in getting the House of Commons Environment Committee to make strong recommendations to improve Canada’s national pollution law - the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. This key success is a step to make sure that the law better protects Canadians from pollution and toxic chemicals.
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For more information about Environmental Defence and our campaigns, please visit Environmental Defence website.