From June 13, 2001
Canada to Introduce
Inert-Disclosure Legislation
The Globe and Mail, a national newspaper in Canada, reports that legislation will be introduced requiring all toxic and allergy-related ingredients found in pesticide products to be listed the product labels. Currently, as in the U.S., pesticide labels only list the active ingredients.
A Canadian government list of around 5,000 inert ingredients found in pesticide products range from peanut butter, apple jelly, and gum to perfumes, dyes, and cancer-causing agents like formaldehyde and methyl chloride.
Health Minister, Allan Rock, has stated that he will introduce legislation requiring manufacturers either disclose the inert ingredients on the product's label or eliminate the toxic inert ingredients from the product in the fall.
The Toronto Environmental Alliance and other environmentalists welcome this legislation. "The disclosure of this information is the right step," said Shelley Petrie of the Toronto Environmental Alliance.
Ottawa has taken immediate steps regarding pesticide use; the Ottawa Citizen reported that the Ottawa council banned the use of insecticides for cosmetic purposes on all public lands.
Beyond Pesticides/NCAMP has been working with the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP) to require that all pesticide inert ingredients be listed on all pesticide products here in the U.S. In 1996, NCAP and NCAMP sued EPA to allow people to systematically know what ingredients are in specific pesticide product formulations, through the Freedom of Information Act. The court found that EPA could not deny public access to this information without evaluating manufactures' trade secret claim. Attorneys General from several states, including New York, have petitioned EPA to require disclosure of the inert ingredients on the product labels.
For more information,
contact Beyond Pesticides/NCAMP at [email protected] or 202-543-5450.