The new Act, passed in 2002, comes into effect today �?replacing what was widely considered to be badly outdated legislation. And according to an extensive new David Suzuki Foundation review <http://www.davidsuzuki.org/files/WOL/June_28_06_Pesticides.pdf> of pesticide use in Canada and other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, Canada has a long way to go to catch up to the rest of the industrialized world.

"While most industrialized countries have been working to protect human health and the environment by banning dangerous pesticides, Canada has been slow to change," says review author and environmental lawyer David R. Boyd. "The new Act is the federal government’s opportunity to step up and protect the health of all Canadians. We urge the Minister of Health to initiate a special review of these pesticides."

A total of 61 pesticides associated with adverse human health effects, including: increased risk of cancer, acute toxicity, developmental disorders, reproductive problems, organ damage and interference with human hormone systems, are still allowed in Canada, while banned elsewhere. For example, two of the most heavily used pesticides in Ontario in 2003, atrazine and 1,3-dichloropropene, are banned in other OECD countries. Other pesticides listed in the review that are commonly used in Canada include 2,4-D, diazinon and amitrole.

Mr. Boyd notes that under the new Act, the Minister of Health has an obligation to initiate a special review of products that contain active ingredients banned by other OECD countries. Under that special review, the onus is placed on pesticide manufacturers to prove that their products do not threaten human health.

"Canadians shouldn’t be treated like second-class citizens," says Ann Rowan, director of the David Suzuki Foundation’s sustainability program. "If enforced by the federal government, the new Act could finally move Canada’s pesticide regulation in line with the rest of the developed world."

The David Suzuki Foundation has submitted a request to the Minister of Health for a special review of the 61 pesticides banned in other OECD nations. A copy of the request and a full listing of the 61 pesticides and their associated health effects are available here <http://www.davidsuzuki.org/files/WOL/June_28_06_Pesticides.pdf>.

For more information, contact:
Dominic Ali
Communications specialist
David Suzuki Foundation
604-732-4228, ext. 246

David R. Boyd
Environmental lawyer
250-629-9984