Jun 15 – Canada: Notice of second release of technical information

From the May 12th 2007 Canada Gazette: Notice of second release of technical information relevant to substances identified in the Challenge:

Whereas the Government of Canada published on Saturday, December 9, 2006, in the Canada Gazette, Part I, Vol. 140, No. 49, the Notice of intent to develop and implement measures to assess and manage the risks posed by certain substances to the health of Canadians and their environment in which it highlights how it intends to address approximately 200 chemical substances identified as high priorities for action;

Notice is hereby given that the Government of Canada is releasing the technical documentation relevant to the 17 substances listed in Schedule 1, Section 3 to this notice. The Government of Canada challenges interested parties to submit the specific information detailed in the technical documentation…

The Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) required that the Government review some 23 000 Domestic Substances List (DSL) substances to determine whether they have certain characteristics which indicate that the Government should assess the risks that may be associated with their continued use in Canada. The Government recently completed this exercise, called categorization. Categorization provides a new information baseline on all identified substances, which will allow the Government of Canada to work with its partners to achieve tangible results that protect Canadians and the environment.

The Ministers of the Environment and of Health (the Ministers) published on Saturday, December 9, 2006, in the Canada Gazette, Part I, Vol. 140, No. 49, the Notice of intent to develop and implement measures to assess and manage the risks posed by certain substances to the health of Canadians and their environment…

The 200 Challenge substances are in commerce or are believed to be in commerce. Should no information be forthcoming through this Challenge to confirm that a substance is in commerce in Canada, the Ministers will conclude, through a screening assessment, that this substance does not satisfy the definition of toxic under section 64 of CEPA 1999. However, given the hazardous properties of this substance, there is concern that new activities for the substance that have not been identified or assessed under CEPA 1999 could lead to the substance meeting the criteria set out in section 64 of the Act. Therefore, it will be recommended that this substance be subject to the Significant New Activity provisions specified under subsection 81(3) of the Act, to ensure that any new manufacture, import or use of this substance in quantities greater than 100 kg/year is reported, and that ecological and human health risk assessments are conducted as specified in section 83 of the Act prior to the substance being introduced into Canada.

Thank you to reader JO for bringing to our attention that we had yet to post this.