Risk management strategy for lead

Summary: Lead is a naturally-occurring element found in rock and soil and this, together with its widespread anthropogenic use, has resulted in its ubiquitous presence in the environment. Lead is found in all environmental media in Canada, as well as in food and drinking water, and it is associated with risks to human health and to the environment. Lead is currently subject to numerous federal risk management initiatives directed toward consumer products, cosmetics, drinking water, food, natural health products, therapeutic products, tobacco, and environmental media, including household dust, soil and air. Concentrations of lead in the environment have been extensively measured and reported through national, provincial and municipal initiatives across Canada, and the results have shown that concentrations of lead in most environmental media have declined markedly over the past few decades. As an example, average lead concentrations in ambient air declined by more than 99% between 1984 and 2008. Similarly, although lead is still widely detected in the Canadian population, levels in blood have fallen dramatically over the past 30 years. This decline in population blood lead levels in Canada since the 1970s can be attributed to the successful phase-out of lead in gasoline, paints and solder used in food cans, in addition to other government regulations and industry actions over this time.