On 6 March, Toronto Globe and Mail reported that three major Canadian public health organisations called jointly for governmental legislation requiring companies to carry out necessary research and identify dangerous substances in their products. The Canadian Cancer Society together with the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Lung Association also asked for air pollution monitoring across the whole country.

This is the first time that a joint call for federal legislation is issued by cancer associations. NGOs argument is that although they recommended individuals to live according healthy lifestyles in the past, current evidence shows that even with an healthy diet and physical activity people can be affected by cancers via air pollution and dangerous chemicals contained in every-day consumer products. Therefore there is an urgent need for government to take action and industry to take responsibility.

For more information:
 Read the article Groups demand action against pollutants in Environmental Health News website