Canadian-American pollution talks

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32838, 11 February 1972, Page 9

Canadian-American pollution talks

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) OTTAWA, February 10. Canadian and United States negotiators have reached tentative agreement on the shape of a programme to halt pollution of the Lower Great Lakes, and Canadian Government sources say there are good prospects that final accord will be achieved by the end of next month.

The broad skeleton of an i agreement was worked out in two days of talks in Wash-j ington in the last week of January—the second formal I round of discussions be- ! tween senior officials of the two governments. Technical discussions took 1 longer than expected, one of the chief complications being a difference on the banning of detergent phosphates, which have been identified as i the main source of pollution threatening parts of the Great Lakes system, and particularly Lake Erie. Canada has already acted to reduce the contamination, requiring that the phosphate

content of all detergents be lowered to no more than 5 per cent by the end of 1972. The United States however, has declined to institute similar action on the ground that the proposed substitute for phosphates — nitrilotriacetic acid—is a health hazard. An American official, who described the recent talks in Washington as “very fruitful,” said that a compromise had been reached on the phosphates issue; but he did not indicate its nature. A Canadian source, however, has indicated that each country will be left free to decide for herself how to meet her obligations under the agreement.