Screening Health Assessment of Existing Substances
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In meeting its mission to assist the people of Canada in maintaining
and improving their health, Health Canada, through the authority
of the Minister of Health, has access to a number of regulatory
and non regulatory tools. These include the Canadian Environmental
Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) which is an important part of the Government
of Canada's environmental legislation aimed at preventing pollution
and protecting human health and the environment.
The Minister of the Environment has overall responsibility for
CEPA and works in equal partnership with the Minister of Health
in areas where CEPA relates to human health. To meet CEPA responsibilities,
the Minister of Health may gather information, conduct investigations
and evaluations, including human health screening assessments,
for the purpose of assessing whether a substance is entering or
may enter the environment under conditions that constitute or may
constitute a danger in Canada to human life or health.
As part of Health Canada's activities on existing substances,
a human health screening assessment may be conducted on a substance
identified from the categorization of the CEPA Domestic Substances
List, on a substance meeting criteria outlined under Section 75
of CEPA on actions taken by another Government, on a public nomination
to the CEPA Priority Substances List, and on any other substance
for which a human health screening assessment is desirable.
These screening health assessments set the stage for either no
further action, further in-depth assessment or risk management.
They typically involve focused comparison of critical data on exposure
and effect i.e., those that have direct impact on either estimates
of exposure of the general population in Canada or the measure
of dose-response with which estimates of exposure are compared.
Critical data are identified based on a comprehensive search and
peer review of available data. These assessments involve an iterative
approach where, in the first instance, upper bounding estimates
of exposure are compared with lowest reported effect levels. The
extent of assessment is limited to that necessary to determine
that a substance is not a priority for risk management. For substances
where margins of exposure are small or for which it is assumed
that there is some probability of harm at all levels of exposure
for critical effects, comparisons of exposure and effects are refined
increasingly taking into account weight of evidence for hazard
and mode of action, as necessary, to permit meaningful conclusion
and provision of advice for next stages. Data which would permit
more definitive conclusion are also identified.
A State of the Science Report on an existing substance presents
the technical/scientific basis for the corresponding human health
screening assessment. Release of a draft State of the Science Report
provides early access to the human health science for the substance,
prior to release in the Canada Gazette for public comment
of the CEPA draft summary screening assessment and its associated
conclusion and/or measure proposed in accordance with relevant
Sections and paragraphs of CEPA. (A CEPA summary screening assessment
usually consists of both the environmental and human health components).
Depending on the content of the draft State of the Science Report,
Health Canada may invite submission of information from relevant
industry representatives regarding their existing or planned control
measures for the substance(s) addressed in the Report. Health Canada
and/or Environment Canada may also initiate consultations with
industry representatives concerning such measures.
When notice of a proposed conclusion and/or measure is published
in the Canada Gazette, any person may provide to the individual
identified therein, written comments on the proposed conclusion
and/or measure, as well as on the scientific considerations upon
which they are based. Following this comment period, the draft
State of the Science Report may be revised as considered appropriate,
and the CEPA final summary screening assessment and conclusions
and/or proposed measure will be published in the Canada Gazette.
Draft State of the Science Reports have been prepared for the screening health assessment of the following compounds:
Hexachloroethane 
Dinitro-o-cresol ( DNOC)
MBMBP
Ethylbenzene
Dibromoethane
Dichloroethene
Quinoline
Biphenyl
MBOCA
Final State of the Science Reports have been prepared for the screening health assessment of the following compounds:
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