Thousands of Canadians poisoned by pesticides each year

More than 6,000 Canadians are directly poisoned by pesticides each year and nearly half of those are children under the age of six, according to a new report by the David Suzuki Foundation.
“Protecting children’s health is one of our most vital responsibilities,” says David Boyd, report author and environmental lawyer. “The startling number of Canadian children poisoned by pesticides provides compelling evidence that stronger actions are required to prevent these incidents from happening.”
The report Northern Exposure: Acute Pesticide Poisonings in Canada tallied data on pesticide poisonings gathered from provincial and regional authorities covering nine of the 10 provinces. In addition to the shocking number of acute pesticide-related poisonings, the report concludes that Canada operates an ineffective system for tracking and monitoring acute poisonings, and most importantly, fails to sufficiently protect its citizens from the adverse health effects of pesticides. The David Suzuki Foundation endorses the creation of an environmental health initiative in Canada that includes the tracking of pesticide poisonings, as well as a national poisoning prevention program.
Read the full release and report…