Who Knew? A recent report by the Pollution Watch, a joint initiative between the Canadian Environmental Law Association and Environmental Defense, reveals that Canadian facilities had greater releases of cancer-causing pollutants than U.S. companies. Comparing 2007 TRI data and Canada's National Pollutant Release Inventory data, Canadian companies, on average, emitted three times more pollutants than American companies on a per facility basis. Formaldehyde and mercury compound releases also are much higher from Canadian facilities. There is some positive news–overall, there has been a decrease in releases to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River basin since 2003 when similar data was last reviewed and compared.
These findings are discussed in greater detail in a document titled "The Partners in Pollution 2 Report" now available at http://www.cela.ca/collections/water/pollutionwatch-great-lakes-reporting