Performance measurement evaluation for risk management of dioxins and furans (health component) - Canada.ca - ISS-G20 Laboratorium Repository

Executive summary

This report measures and evaluates the performance of risk management strategies and tools taken to help protect Canadians from exposures to polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (also known as and hereafter referred to as dioxins and furans) that were found to pose a risk to human health and the environment. Dioxins and furans were selected for performance measurement evaluation because key baseline and performance indicator data are available, and human health risk management tools have been in place for a sufficient amount of time to measure impact.

Dioxins and furans were assessed by the Government of Canada in 1990, where they were found to be a possible risk to human health and the environment, and met the criteria for toxic under paragraphs 11(a) and 11(c) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1988 (CEPA 1988).. Risk management strategies and tools were established to help reduce dioxin and furan exposures to the environment and to the general population in Canada through actions targeting releases from pulp and paper mills, metal production, waste incineration, and wood preservation industries. The Government of Canada is also a signatory party to several international agreements focused on the reduction of levels of dioxins and furans among other persistent organic pollutants.

Information collected by the Government of Canada shows that since these risk management strategies and tools came into effect, there has been a reduction in:

1. Levels of dioxins and furans emitted to, and measured in, outdoor air;
2. Concentrations in foods of animal origin and, as a result, dietary exposure to, dioxins and furans; and
3. Concentrations of dioxins and furans measured in human milk.

Overall, risk management tools pertaining to human health are meeting their intended goals, and progress has been made towards virtual elimination of dioxins and furans.

Entire content available on: https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/evaluating-existing-substances/evaluation-risk-management-dioxins-furans.html