Dr. Bruce Lanphear, a health sciences professor at Simon Fraser University, stepped down as the co-chair of the Health Canada scientific advisory committee on pest control products on June 27.
The committee gives Health Canada independent scientific advice on the health and environmental risks of pesticides, and does evaluations for new products and reviews. Given the wider role of industry advisers, he wrote he had "little or no confidence" the science committee could help the agency "become more transparent or assure that Canadians are protected from toxic pesticides."
"This is a council of people whose interests and concerns are affected by this act and currently include pesticide manufacturers, growers, environmental and health groups, and individuals from academia or with relevant expertise," the department said. In one example, he said he asked how Health Canada uses biomonitoring studies — which look at human exposure to chemicals — in its decision making, but never received an "adequate answer."
"My requests — which were amplified by other scientific advisory committee members — were denied," he wrote. He said legal constraints may have prevented the committee from looking at contentious pesticides, raising questions about transparency.
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