Chemical Substances
www.chemicalsubstances.gc.ca
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Protecting Children's Health
Children are more vulnerable than adults to contaminants found in the environment.
- Children have a higher intake of air, water and food in relation to their body weight.
- Children's bodies and body systems are developing, and are less able to process toxic substances. They are more sensitive to harm from chemical substances. During early stages of development, especially in the womb, exposure to certain environmental contaminants can result in irreversible damage to child health, with the development of the central nervous system being particularly sensitive.
- Children have unique pathways of exposure. For instance, they will often put things in their mouths and spend more time in direct contact with surfaces (through crawling), and can accidentally ingest harmful substances. As well, children are closer to the ground, where levels of the heavier contaminants such as lead, particulates, and mercury vapour may be higher.
- Children have a potential for long-term cumulative exposures to environmental hazards, and exposures in childhood determine health in adulthood.
- Children know much less about, and have less control over, the hazards to which they may be exposed.
Categorization
Government of Canada scientists have now completed a review of 23,000 chemical substances used or produced in Canada prior to Canada's modern environmental regime. These chemical substances were categorized based on the following characteristics associated with environmental or human health concerns:
- Persistence - the time it takes for a substance to break down in the environment;
- Bioaccumulation - the tendency for a substance to accumulate in the tissues of living beings and be passed up through the food chain;
- Inherent Toxicity - whether a substance is harmful by its very nature to human health or other organisms; and
- Greatest Potential for Exposure - those substances that have a high potential for exposure to Canadians.
When evaluating chemical substances using the "greatest potential for exposure" criteria, Health Canada considered the way in which children and adults would be exposed. Some chemical substances were identified as being important during categorization because of the likelihood that children would come into contact with them. These chemical substances include those that are likely to be used as colorants in food and dyes in clothing; flame retardants; fragrances and deodorizers, fabric softeners and lotions; and paint and coating additives.
Using the "inherent toxicity" criteria, Health Canada looked at those chemical substances which had been comprehensively reviewed by other international agencies/organizations or national governments and were considered to have the potential to cause cancer or birth defects or to impair fertility. In addition, Health Canada considered the potential for effects on the hormone system (endocrine disruption), the immune system and the development of children.
Canada's Chemicals Management Plan
The Chemicals Management Plan builds on the results of categorization.
Science keeps progressing, and in the process provides authorities with new knowledge to better protect children and adults from the consequences of exposure to chemicals. Canada's New Government is committed to remaining at the leading edge of the field.
The Government of Canada will conduct research and monitoring to better understand how pregnant mothers and their unborn children are exposed to contaminants.
