Federal Government to Release Chemical Test Results from 5,600 Canadians

Environmental Defence available to comment on results that will include lead and bisphenol A

TORONTO, Aug. 16 /CNW/ - Today, Statistics Canada will release the results from 5,600 Canadians who have been tested for exposure to a wide range of chemicals. The report will highlight results for lead and bisphenol A, a hormone-disrupting chemical that was recently banned in plastic baby bottles but is still present in a variety of other products, including tin cans and many cash register receipts.

Dr. Rick Smith, Executive Director of Environmental Defence, is available to provide comment and analysis of the study results. Over the past five years, Environmental Defence has tested Canadians and politicians for chemicals in their bodies. The organization was instrumental in getting bisphenol A banned from plastic baby bottles and is continuing to call for a wider phase out of the chemical to protect Canadians' health.

International organizations, expert panels and more than 150 peer-reviewed studies have associated bisphenol A with a variety of health problems (obesity, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, breast cancer and a wide range of developmental problems), often at surprisingly low levels of exposure. Testing by Health Canada has revealed that 96% of canned drinks contain bisphenol A.

Dr. Smith is also co-author of the bestselling book "Slow Death by Rubber Duck: How the Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Life Affects Our Health". For the purposes of researching his book, he exposed himself to pollution and measured levels of toxic chemicals in his own body.

About Environmental Defence (www.environmentaldefence.ca): Environmental Defence protects the environment and human health. We research solutions. We educate. We go to court when we have to. All in order to ensure clean air, clean water and thriving ecosystems nationwide, and to bring a halt to Canada's contribution to climate change.

For further information: or to arrange interviews, please contact: Jennifer Foulds, Environmental Defence, [phone] ext. 232, [phone] (cell)