DSL Categorization Technical Workshop Report

Environment Canada and Health Canada are required, under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA, 1999), to categorize the approximately 23000 substances listed on the Domestic Substances List (DSL). The DSL is an inventory of chemicals and biological agents that were in commerce in Canada between January 1984 and December 1986.

The approach to categorize substances is described in Section 73 of CEPA, 1999 and is aimed at the identification of those substances that, in the opinion of the Ministers and on the basis of available information,

(a) may present, to individuals in Canada, the greatest potential for exposure; or

(b) are persistent or bioaccumulative, in accordance with the Persistence and Bioaccumulation Regulations, and inherently toxic to human beings or to non-human organisms, as determined by laboratory or other studies.

Substances on the DSL categorized as persistent or bioaccumulative by Environment Canada are then evaluated for their "inherent toxicity" to humans (by Health Canada) or non-human organisms (by Environment Canada).

CEPA, 1999 requires that all substances on the DSL be categorized within 7 years after the Act’s receipt of Royal Assent which occurred on September 14, 1999. Therefore, categorization must be completed by September 2006.

In May 2002, Environment Canada published its proposed operational and categorization approaches for organic substances listed on the DSL. The guidance document was posted on the Environment Canada website and was available upon request. A public comment period was open until the end of September 2002. Many diverse issues related to the persistence and bioaccumulation criteria and categorization approaches, and on the data available to make such determinations were presented to Environment Canada by the CEPA Industry Co-ordinating Group (ICG) in August 2002. Environment Canada had also observed by that time that key messages on the technical aspects of categorization were either not being delivered correctly by the Department or were not being interpreted correctly by stakeholders.

Both the ICG and Environment Canada felt that a technical workshop could successfully address these technical and communication issues by providing for in-depth discussions, and could ensure an appropriate balanced representation of perspectives. As a result, Environment Canada organized a Technical Workshop on Persistence and Bioaccumulation for the DSL Categorization on October 30 and 31, 2002, in collaboration with the ICG. Invitations were made to specific representatives from academia, government, industry and environmental non-governmental organizations as well as to independent consultants.

The workshop objectives were developed by Environment Canada in consultation with the ICG. During the workshop, extensive exchange of ideas, approaches and challenges around the categorization process were exchanged between participants through which Environment Canada sought identification of issues/concerns related to persistence and bioaccumulation and also ideas or approaches to address these issues. Finally, a process was developed to move forward on outstanding issues.

Attendees’ active participation and presentation of their expert opinions/perspectives, as well as the presentations prepared by the ICG, were not only insightful and helpful, but also contributed greatly to the success of the workshop. With the resulting agreements and recommendations, as described in this workshop report, Environment Canada can confidently undertake significant steps forward with its categorization efforts.

The report summarizing key issues (related to persistence and bioaccumulation), ideas and ways to address these issues identified during the workshop is only available upon request. To obtain a hard copy or an electronic copy, please send your request, including your e-mail address or postal address as appropriate, via our comments page comments page.

Disclaimer: Although care has been taken to ensure that the information found on this website accurately reflects the requirements prescribed in the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (1999), you are advised that, should any inconsistencies be found, the legal documents, printed in the Canada Gazette, will prevail.