October 16, 2001
Kamloops Daily News



Many Kamloopsians voted last Saturday to remove what they
considered a pollutant, fluoride, from our water.  I
like the idea of voting pollutants out of our water but
referenda are not going to solve the real problem.

The problem is that we are not even aware of many pollutants
that we add to our water, let alone  able to list them for
the next referendum.  Like pharmaceuticals, for example. 
Health Canada says that 80 per cent of drugs that we ingest
are excreted and end up in our water.  Talk about mass
mediation.

Up to 50 different medications are turning up in trace
amounts in our water. "Birth control pills, and hormones.
We're also finding aspirin ... anti-depressants, … blood
pressure medication, the sort of medication that's being
used widely by the population,"  said Health Canada's
Elizabeth Nielsen.

Canadians are unwitting agents in the pollution of water
with drugs.  We are conduits for big pharmaceutical
companies who are dumping drugs in the water through us.  We
aren't completely innocent in the process - - Canadians throw
perfectly good medicines down the toilet.  There is a
solution other than a referendum.

Dosages of medications could be adjusted so that they are
completely metabolized.  It's a matter of finding out how
quickly our bodies burn the drugs up.  Also, some drugs with
a long shelf life might be returned to dispensaries for
redistribution instead of being thrown out.

Health Canada recognizes the problem and is developing new
regulations for drugs, foods and cosmetics that will require
manufacturers to prove they won't cause a problem in the
environment.

Other water pollutants are the direct cause of agribusiness. 
Ontario and Quebec alone produce as much livestock sewage as
Japan does with 100 million people.  In this case, it's the
cows who are the unwitting players in the problem.  They are
just doing what comes naturally.

The problem is too much manure from too many animals that is
running off into fields, rivers and lakes.  The misuse of
manure and fertilizer on farmland has damaged our ecosystem
says Environment Commissioner Johannes Gelinas.   She
understands the nutrient value of manure.  It's high in
nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen which are an
important resource for growing crops.  There is now too much
of it to simply spread on the land.  It's not just the
nutrients that are the problem.

The stuff also contains the deadly e-coli bacteria.  The
risk is not only to the ecosystem but the health and life of
those who drink the polluted water.   Such was the case in
Walkerton, where seven people died and more than two
thousand others got sick after cattle manure polluted the
drinking water.

The problem is that polutants like medicines and manure can't
be voted out of our water in a referendum.  They need the
sustained attention of governments who can work on solutions
full time.

The federal Liberals though Health Canada seem to trying. 
The B.C. Liberals talk a good line. "Our program will ensure
the highest environmental standards and respects the strong
environmental concerns of British Columbians," says premier
Campbell in an open letter to his Minister of  Air, Land and
Water Protection.

But Minister Joyce Murray is getting mixed messages from
Campbell.  He also tells Murray that he will reduce
regulations "that impair people's legitimate desire to
conduct their affairs in an efficient and helpful manner."  
Ah, therein lies the problem.

You can't maintain high environmental standards without what
industry calls "red tape" -- government regulations that
prevent industry and agribusiness from doing what they want.

Ordinary people and cows can't control what they excrete. 
Premier Campbell will have to offer more than environmental
platitudes.  He will have to put his money where his mouth
is.

We elect governments to make tough choices. The B.C.
Liberals must decide whether they are going to protect the
environment or cut regulations.  They can't do both.

And our city council will have to govern instead throwing
their hands up in despair when the going gets tough. 
Referenda are an easy way for governments to avoid making
hard choices.  And regrettably, most water pollutants can't
be removed by simply voting them out of existence.

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