Northern Exposure

Acute Pesticide poisoning in Canada

Northern Exposure counts the thousands of Canadians that have suffered from acute poisoning from pesticides. The report is a wake-up call to federal and provincial governments to take action to protect Canadians from the dangers of pesticides.

More than 5,500 Canadians are acutely poisoned by pesticides each year, resulting in calls to poison control centres, visits to emergency wards, and hospitalizations. These severe poisonings occur after exposure to a single dose of pesticide - through inhalation, eating, drinking, or direct contact with eyes or skin.

In an effort to propose real, workable solutions, Northern Exposure offers a series of recommendations to reduce the risks of pesticide poisoning in Canada.

Download Executive Summary
French (PDF 477kb)
English (PDF 486kb)

Download Full Report
French  (PDF 1.2mb)
English  (PDF 1.2mb)

This is the fourth in a series of reports on how our environment affects human health in Canada, including:

The Food We Eat: An International Comparison of Pesticide Regulations
The Air We Breathe: An International Comparison of Air Quality Standards and Guidelines
The Water We Drink: An International Comparison of Drinking Water Quality Standards and Guidelines

Published in 2007