Present day Canadians are estimated to have 400-500 times more lead in their skeletons than Peruvians of 1800 years ago. It is because all Canadians are exposed to lead in air, dirt, paint, household dust, food, drinking water, and various consumer products. Long-term exposure to low levels of lead and short-term exposure to high levels can affect human health. It is said that the fall of the Roman Empire is partially attributed to lead poisoning. Several legislative and other initiatives taken in recent years have been designed to assess and significantly reduce human exposure to lead. One of them being the designation of lead as one of the twelve (12) designated substances in Ontario under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA S.70(23); and the other being “The Canadian Drinking Water Criteria”, specifying the maximum amount of lead acceptable in potable water.
The ECOH team has the expertise and experience to ensure compliance with
all relevant legislation and offers a wide range of services including:
-Comprehensive surveys to locate all materials known or suspected to be
containing lead
-Confirming the presence of lead using standardized, appropriate sampling
methods (e.g. water, air, soil, swab) and strategies
-Analyses by independent, competent and accredited laboratories
-Developing and implementing a “lead control” program
-Contract specification and bid evaluations for lead assessment and removal
-Project management, communications, supervision and inspection.
-Compliance with all Federal and Provincial legislation
-Litigation support and expert witness testimony