Soil is considered contaminated when human-made chemicals are present or other alterations have been made to its natural environment. This is often caused by accidental releases of chemicals or the improper disposal of hazardous waste.Canada has tens of thousands of contaminated sites — including at factories, mines, military bases, airports, laboratories, historic landfills, lighthouse stations, harbours and other locations across the country.
This section offers information on contaminated sites in Canada, Environment Canada’s efforts to develop new remediation technologies, and work being conducted under the Federal Contaminated Sites Action Plan.
Pollution prevention refers to various practices that reduce the creation of pollutants and waste. The cornerstone of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, it focuses on removing the causes of pollution rather than on managing it after it has been created.
Preventative measures can result in significant savings and usually involve reducing energy consumption and waste production. They can include reducing, recovering and reusing materials; preventing harmful releases; buying and using “green” products; and cutting down on power usage.
pollutants are substances that directly or indirectly harm human health or the environment. The risks they pose depend on such factors as their physical and chemical properties, toxicity, how much is released and where, and how they break down.
The most toxic substances are targeted for elimination through the Environmental Protection Act. Environment Canada uses inventories to track the release of greenhouse gases, criteria air contaminants, and other pollutants to support this legislation and other reduction efforts.
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