Categorization of Substances on the Domestic Substances List
The first Canadian Environmental Protection Act, enacted in 1988, provided for an in-depth analysis of potential risks to human health and the environment posed by environmental contaminants through the assessment of substances on the Priority Substances List. Under this program, detailed health and environmental assessments have been conducted on a total of 69 entries listed on the first (PSL1) and second (PSL2) Priority Substances Lists.
The revised Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) contains new provisions that allow for the faster assessment of a greater number of existing substances in Canada. This new process involves the categorization of the 23 000+ substances on the Domestic Substances List, which will be used to identify substances that will then undergo a screening assessment for potential risks to human health or the environment.
Under Section 73 of CEPA 1999, the Ministers of Health and of the Environment must categorize the 23 000+ substances on the Domestic Substances List (DSL). The Minister of Health must categorize substances on the DSL to identify those that pose the greatest potential for exposure of the general population in Canada (GPE) as well as those persistent or bioaccumulative substances considered "inherently toxic" to humans (IThuman). The Minister of the Environment must categorize substances on the DSL to identify those that are persistent or bioaccumulative and "inherently toxic" to non-human organisms. Screening assessments will be conducted for substances meeting these criteria.
A draft proposal for priority setting related to Health Canada's mandate to categorize substances on the DSL for greatest potential for human exposure (GPE) was available for public comment (see Categorization of the Domestic Substances List (DSL) for Greatest Potential for Human Exposure).
This was the first of three proposals that will be issued for public comment related to Health Canada's responsibilities for categorization of the DSL under CEPA 1999. A draft integrated approach for categorization for GPE and IThuman and a proposed first draft categorization list - GPE and IThuman, is planned for release during the fall of 2004. In the fall of 2005, a refined integrated approach for DSL categorization and updated draft categorization list - GPE and IThuman, will be issued.
These proposals have been developed on the basis of operational experience on thousands of compounds, solicitation of expert input in peer consultations and/or convened workshops, and "validation" to the extent possible based on systematic comparison of outcomes with those for assessments for chemicals with more complete data sets.
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