Canada’s Cobalt Update
The Canadian government is proposing adding both cobalt and soluble cobalt to schedule one of the Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (Cepa).
This proposal comes after a final screening assessment which found the substances to be harmful to soil organisms if dissolved in water.
Cobalt, a substance usually found in batteries and the production of alloys, was screened in a draft assessment and it was found that 50 of the substances containing cobalt met one or more of the Cepa section 64 criteria. However, the final screening assessment, which focused on the cobalt ‘moiety’, found the environmental hazards in the substance.
Stakeholders will now have up to 60 days to submit comments on this proposal.
For more information, please visit chemicalwatch.com.
