In a follow up to their Toxic Nation report released earlier this year, Environmental Defence has revealed that harmful chemicals are present in the bodies of the four federal politicians who volunteered to have their blood tested for the presence of 103 pollutants. The results were not good.

Of the four MPs tested, John Godfrey had the highest total number of pollutants at 55, followed by Health Minister Tony Clement and Jack Layton at 54, with Environment Minister Rona Ambrose testing positive for 49. All four politicians were more polluted than both the child and adult volunteers who participated in the Environmental Defence study on pollutants in families, released last June, though the group made no claims about how these pollutants may be influencing the state of Canadian politics.

That aside, it may explain why the Conservatives have been moving ahead with tough, and potentially world leading, regulations controlling toxic substances. In December, they unveiled a $300 million plan to curb chemicals that cause harm to the environment and human health.