For Immediate Release
June 14, 2013
TORONTO: Today, the Toronto Cancer Prevention Coalition (TCPC) released the first-ever Toronto Toxics Reduction Tool Kit just in time to help Torontonians exercise their ‘right to know’ about cancer-causing chemicals found in their neighbourhoods.
“This new toolkit will help Torontonians identify and reduce their exposure to pollutants in their neighbourhood that cause cancer,” says Heather Marshall, DeTOx Toronto Campaigner at Toronto Environmental Alliance, a member of TCPC. “We launched this today to coincide with the release of new data on pollutants in Toronto.”
New data released by the City’s ChemTRAC Program identifies which sectors use or release the ‘Toxic 25’ substances known to pose serious health risks including cancer. The ChemTRAC Program has uncovered cancer-causing pollutants released in Toronto’s air that the national pollution program fails to identify, notes Marshall.
Marshall points out that this Tool Kit gives residents the tools they need to promote local pollution prevention, which can reduce cancer rates. The Tool Kit was developed by the TCPC’s Environmental & Occupational Working Group to encourage Toronto residents, workers, and health care providers to exercise their ‘right to know’ about chemicals.
“Workers experience first-hand exposures to toxic substances they use in their workplaces and how they might further impact their families’ health in the community” says Ken Bondy, National Coordinator for Health, Safety and Environment at Canadian Auto Workers. “Our Tool Kit has a journal for recording toxic chemical exposures at work, which can be shared with your doctor”.
“Nurses understand that the environment we live in contributes to our health status. The new Toxics Tool Kit empowers nurses to advocate for healthier communities by identifying the health risks associated with toxic substances” says Reena Ahluwalia from the Ontario Nurses for the Environment Interest Group.
The Tool Kit and Toronto’s reporting system can reduce cancer rates over time by reducing the amount of carcinogenic toxic substances released in Toronto.
The Tool Kit is available online at
toronto.ca/health/tcpc/environment_occupation.htm.
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For more information, contact: Heather Marshall, 416-833-5583