Pesticide procrastination
Every growing season, farmers and forestry companies across Canada are on guard for pests — the kind that destroy crops, hollow out trees and generally inconvenience us humans. Some spray pesticides to combat destructive insects, but none of those chemicals can hit the ground without an OK from Health Canada first. And when there’s worry a chemical is unsafe, the agency checks it out. But what if they found a problem and didn’t act?
For nearly 20 years, that’s what happened with chlorpyrifos. As my colleague Marc Fawcett-Atkinson reported this week, the pesticide, used in greenhouses, on crops and to kill mosquitoes, affects the nervous system and can cause brain defects in children. It’s been banned in the U.S. and by the European Union. But in Canada, officials repeatedly downplayed warnings the chemical was potentially dangerous for humans without ever telling the public about its health concerns.
Health Canada never did research the health risks of this pesticide, which was widely used. But eventually, it followed other countries and decided to phase out the pesticide over three years. By the end of 2023, chlorpyrifos will be banned in Canada. The agency says there are “no serious or imminent health risks” linked to the pesticide and a faster phaseout isn’t necessary.
But critics say the timeline is unacceptable and worry chlorpyrifos — and the failure to follow up on warnings heeded in other countries years earlier — is the “tip of the iceberg.” Health Canada’s decision to approve the use of glyphosate, a herbicide designated a “likely carcinogen” by the World Health Organization, has faced similar pushback over environmental and health concerns.
“The main issue lies with Canada’s approach to pesticide regulation,” Marc explains. “In Canada, regulators allow pesticides (and other chemicals) on the market, then implement measures to minimize their risk. These risk management measures are reactive — they only pop up after there’s been a problem — meaning the government relies primarily on companies’ pesticide safety studies.”
Meanwhile, he says, other countries — the EU bloc, for example — are more precautionary: if there’s a possible threat to human health or the environment, regulators will simply ban the chemical.
A court battle could force Health Canada to rethink its three-year phaseout policy, not just for chlorpyrifos but other pesticides, too. But critics aren’t very optimistic: they argue Canada’s regulator “relies on industry for its data and primarily wants to allow pesticides to be continued to be used,” Marc tells me. And even though the government is updating its pesticide policies, there are still worries the new rules “will favour pesticide companies and not be particularly stringent.”
Whatever happens in court, Marc says you likely won’t find chlorpyrifos on Canadian-grown food anymore. But food shipped from other countries to our grocery stores could have traces of it, he adds, and pesticide residues often aren’t monitored.
“If you want to be safe, eat organic, which guarantees no pesticide use,” Marc tells me. The other option? “Move to Europe, where pesticide rules are much more stringent.”
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