Women’s health and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act

The document advocates for strengthening the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) by incorporating prevention, precaution, and intersectionality to address the disproportionate impact of toxic exposures on women. It highlights how gendered social roles and sex-specific biological differences increase vulnerability to chemicals in consumer products, workplaces, and the environment, particularly for racialized, Indigenous, and low-income women.

• Gendered social and family roles lead to disproportionate exposure for women to indoor pollution, including chemicals in cosmetics, cleaning products, furniture, air, water, and dust. Women also bear the primary burden of attempting to avoid toxic exposures during household shopping.
• Intersectionality increases toxic exposure risks, with racialized, Indigenous, and low-income women facing higher burdens. This includes racialized women being targeted with cosmetic products containing harmful chemicals, nail salon workers facing immediate negative health impacts, and communities near industries or highways experiencing higher toxin levels in the air. Inuit women and children specifically show significantly higher body levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, which can weaken vaccine effectiveness and immune systems.
• Biological sex differences create unique vulnerabilities to toxic exposures, yet biologically female bodies remain significantly underrepresented in scientific literature and chemical assessments, as biologically male bodies were historically treated as the norm. Specific vulnerabilities include sex-specific differences in metabolism, hormones, blood chemistry, body fat composition, and biochemical pathways, as well as the critical window of in utero exposure for the developing fetus.
• Hormone-disrupting chemicals that are ubiquitous in the environment contribute to lower fertility and hormone-sensitive cancers, specifically ovarian, uterine, and breast cancers.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (2021). Women’s health and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Womens-health-and-CEPA-April-2021.pdf#new_tab

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. Women’s health and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. 2021. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Womens-health-and-CEPA-April-2021.pdf#new_tab.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=Women’s health and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act |date=April 2021 |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Womens-health-and-CEPA-April-2021.pdf#new_tab |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironment2021womens, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{Women’s health and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2021}, month = apr, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Womens-health-and-CEPA-April-2021.pdf#new_tab}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }