Testing samples is a key component of the science supporting CEPA 1999. For example:

• Samples of all types are analyzed by the Environmental Technology Centre relating to toxics matters and in support of the National Air Pollution Survey Network. The Centre also tests legal samples taken in Quebec and Ontario for enforcement purposes.
   
• The Environmental Technology Centre conducts emissions audits of new vehicle models, including motorcycle exhaust emission testing.

Testing methods

Cost-effective and scientifically reliable tests are essential for the on-going monitoring of substances in the environment and for checks on particular substances. The following are examples of tests developed by Environment Canada and Health Canada scientists that relate to the implementation of CEPA 1999.

• Through SAIC Canada (an Alternative Service Delivery contractor at the Environmental Technology Centre), a test protocol has been established to cover most types and brands of commercial oil sorbents. The new procedure, accepted in North America, is Standard Method of Testing Sorbent Performance of Absorbents (# F726-99).
   
• Under CEPA 1999, the disposal at sea of non-hazardous substances is permitted, where it is the environmentally preferable and practical alternative. The Marine Environment Division has been refining biological tests that can be used to evaluate chemical concentrations in sediment that is destined for disposal at sea. These biological tests are a follow-up to chemical tests that identify the presence of controlled substances. The bioassays use crustacean mortality, sea urchin reproduction, fluorescence from photoluminescent bacteria, changes in sea worm growth and bioaccumulation of material in one species of clam (Macoma nasuta) to determine if the sediment is suitable for ocean disposal.

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