By Environmental Defence

The average Canadian has more than hockey in his blood; there are also flame retardants, stain removers, heavy metals, PCBs and volatile organic compounds, says an environmental group. Blood and urine tests of 11 volunteers from Saltspring Island, B.C., to St. John's, NL, found scores of toxic chemicals suspected of causing everything from cancer to learning disabilities, says a report by Toronto-based Environmental Defence.

On average, each of the volunteers showed blood contamination by more than 40 compounds, as well as urine contamination by a number of pesticides. Environmental Defence says it's the first nationwide study of blood and urine contamination in Canada, although similar results have been obtained in the United States and Britain.

Despite the small sample size of the study the results reflect a national problem, said Sarah Winterton, program director with Environmental Defence, who had her own blood tested for the study. She noted the 11 volunteers came from different parts of the country, different types of communities, different ethnic backgrounds, professions and age categories. "It's not like we all had dinner together and had blood poisoning the next day," said Winterton in an interview. "The only thing this group of people had in common was that they live in Canada."It's a glimpse of what everybody has in them."

Volunteers included B.C. wildlife artist Robert Bateman, St. John's filmmaker Mary Sexton, and David Masty, chief of the Whapmagoostui First Nation in northern Quebec. Masty had the highest levels of mercury contamination despite living far from heavy industry.

Rick Smith, executive director of Environmental Defence, said the results underline the need for tighter regulation on toxic chemicals under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).One of the few bits of good news in the report is that PCB concentrations were much lower in young volunteers, which he attributed to the PCB ban imposed about 10 years ago.

The study notes the number of new cases of cancer in Canada has increased 54.4 per cent since the 1980s, while cancer deaths have increased by 43.4 per cent. Although researchers often blame rising cancer incidence on Canada's aging population, data show incidence has increased among Canadians aged 20 to 44, says the report."The types of cancer most common among this age group differ from those among older people, which suggests that risk factors other than age may be responsible for certain types of cancer.

"Among the study's recommendations:

-Virtual elimination of all releases of carcinogens to the air and water by 2008.-A ban on brominated flame retardants.

-Expanding CEPA to cover chemicals used in consumer products, not just those released to the environment.

-Requiring industry to prove the safety of its chemicals before they are introduced, rather than testing them for toxicity after they are in use.

The blood and urine tests were conducted by Centre de Toxicologie, Institute National de Sante Publique du Quebec and Accu-Chem Laboratories of Richardson, Texas.