Ontario has the highest lead pollution in North America and Canadian industrial facilities are listed as the top three offenders, a pollution watchdog report shows.
The Commission for Environmental Co-operation (CEC) report to be released today, called Taking Stock, tracks toxic chemical pollution from 24,000 industrial facilities in Canada and the U.S. for 2002. It takes a special look at lead emissions.
The CEC is an inter-governmental organization created under the North America Free Trade Agreement.
The report ranks Ontario at the top, with Manitoba and Quebec taking the No. 2 and No. 3 spots respectively for lead pollution levels in North America.
Although there have been great strides made since lead was eliminated from gasoline in the 1980s, lead pollution is still a major problem.
"There is still a considerable amount of lead in the air," said William Kennedy, CEC's executive director.
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