Lead – performance measurement evaluation
Lead is a toxic substance under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, and has long been recognized as toxic, based on clear evidence that it is harmful to human health and the environment. Lead is found in nature and has many uses in industry and, as a result, can be found all through the Canadian environment, including in air, bodies of water and soil, as well as in food and drinking water.
The risk management objective for lead is to protect Canadians and their environment from risks associated with lead by reducing exposure to the greatest extent feasible. Correspondingly, a large number of risk management measures have been undertaken since the 1970's to reduce exposures to lead (the performance measurement evaluation provides details on specific measures). These measures have been directed toward mining, steel manufacturing, smelting and refining of base metals, fuels, consumer products, cosmetics, drinking water, food, natural health products, therapeutic products, tobacco, and environmental media, including household dust, soil and air.
The results presented in the performance measurement evaluation demonstrate that the multitude of federal management actions undertaken to reduce exposures to lead has led to considerable achievement toward minimizing the presence of lead in the Canadian environment and the exposure of Canadians. The evaluation also recommends continued risk management action in order to further reduce risks identified in the Final State of the Science Report on Lead, published in 2013. Therefore, the Government of Canada will focus its efforts on 3 main areas:
- monitoring of lead levels in key environmental media and in fish and wildlife, as well as human biomonitoring complemented by dietary surveys;
- managing risks associated with lead;
- communicating with Canadians about the risks posed by lead, especially on the dangers of lead for children, and measures they can implement to reduce these risks.
Complete details on the performance measurement evaluation for lead can be found in the Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Risk Management Measures for Lead.
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