Regulatory
REGULATORY NEWS FOR WEEK OF JANUARY 7, 2019
Canadian Federal News
There is still time to complete the Chemicals Management Plan (CMP) industry survey. Please complete the survey by January 11, 2019
In December 2018, the Final Screening Assessment for the Rapid Screening of Substances with Limited General Population Exposure was released and the related notice was published in the Canada Gazette Part I: Vol. 152, No. 50 – December 15, 2018. The final screening assessment concludes that 88 of the 171 substances assessed do not meet any of the criteria set out under section 64 of CEPA 1999.
Although these substances are not considered to be harmful to human health or the environment at current levels of exposure, 14 of the 88 substances are considered to have potential health effects of concern. Therefore, there may be a concern for human health if exposure to these substances were to increase. A notice of intent to apply the SNAc provisions to these 14 substances was published in December 2018.
The remaining 83 of the 171 substances included in this assessment were identified as needing further assessment in order to evaluate their potential to cause harm.
The updates cover the following activities, and are located on the Third phase of the Chemicals Management Plan webpage:
- Planned information-gathering initiatives (2018–2020);
- Two-year Rolling Risk Assessment Publication Plan for the 1 550 existing substances to be addressed under CEPA (2018–2020);
- Two-year Rolling Risk Assessment Publication Plan for the remaining existing living organisms to be assessed under CEPA (2019–2020); and
- Updated Two Year Rolling Risk Management Activities and Consultations Schedule (2018–2020).
- Bisphenol A risk management approach published
The intent of this document is to evaluate the bisphenol A Risk Management Approach from a human health perspective, specifically, to evaluate the progress made towards meeting the human health objective of minimizing infant exposure to the greatest extent practicable
Effective January 15, 2019, the Manufacturer’s Declaration Form (CFIA/ACIA 5280) will be discontinued. The CFIA will be issuing the Certificate of Free Sale (CFIA/ACIA 5786) if a certificate or trade document is required for the export of manufactured foods (products previously in the non-federally registered sector). This will only be available to licensed food businesses under the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR). Please go to My CFIA to apply for a licence.
This is to inform you of an upcoming adjustment to the fees for claims for exemption filed under the Hazardous Materials Information Review Act (HMIRA) that will come into effect on April 1, 2019.
Environmental indicators on air, climate, water, nature, and human influence Winter 2018 report is now available.
Responsible Distribution Canada submitted a request to have API included in existing Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) with Europe. Treasury Board has confirmed that Health Canada (HC) and the European Commission (EC) recently started the discussion to include active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) as part of the CETA Protocol on Pharmaceuticals which replaced the EC/Canada Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Annex of the 1998 Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA).
On December 15, 2018, the proposed Cross-border Movement of Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Recyclable Material Regulations (proposed Regulations) were published in Canada Gazette, Part I. This publication initiates a 60-day public consultation period during which stakeholders may submit comments to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) on the proposed Regulations.
Health Canada proposing to add cyanide in apricot kernels to List of Contaminants in food
Health Canada is proposing further action to protect Canadians from the potential risk of cyanide due to the consumption of apricot kernels through the implementation of one of three risk management options.
- Final Significant New Activity Notice published for CASRN 69009-90-1
- Summary of the draft screening assessment of the Pigments and Dyes Group
These 6 substances were identified as priorities for assessment, as they met categorization criteria under subsection 73(1) of CEPA or were considered a priority on the basis of other human health concerns. Nineteen of the 25 substances were subsequently determined to be of low concern through other approaches, and proposed decisions for these substances are provided in separate reports. footnote 2, footnote 3 Accordingly, the screening assessment addresses the 6 substances listed in the table below, hereinafter referred to as the Pigments and Dyes Group.
CASRN 596-03-2, 1326-03-0, 8005-03-6, 12224-98-5, 26694-69-9 and 42373-04-6
On the basis of the information presented in this screening assessment, it is concluded that eugenol and Rosa canina extract do not meet the criteria under paragraph 64(c) of CEPA as they are not entering the environment in a quantity or concentration or under conditions that constitute or may constitute a danger in Canada to human life or health.
Canadian Provincial News
The Policy, Regulation and Research Division has prepared draft 2019–2021 workplans for stakeholder review and comment. These workplans will encompass policy priorities relating to compensation, occupational disease, assessments, and occupational health and safety. Deadline is February 4, 2019.
Ontario launches 2019 with reforms to make the province more competitive and signal that Ontario is open for business. Changes related to Ontario’s labour market that came into effect on January 1, 2019 and include a reduction in employer premiums for Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.
Prokleen Washing Services commited the offence of failing as an employer to ensure the measures and procedures prescribed by section 7(1) of Ontario Regulation 632/05 (the Confined Spaces regulation) were carried out in the workplace, contrary to section 25(1)(c) of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The government of Québec issued O.C. 1411-2018, 5 December 2018 – An Act respecting occupational health and safety covering fire safety, fall protection and prescribing certain standards applicable to all establishments.
US News
EPA is announcing the release of the IRIS Program Outlook (December 2018) on the IRIS website. The document describes assessments that are currently in development and their projected public milestones.
Starting January 1, 2019, manufacturers of paint and varnish strippers containing methylene chloride, a toxic chemical that has contributed to numerous deaths, will have to look for safer alternatives if they want to continue selling the products in California.
International News
A series of International Standards for functional safety of electrical and electronic systems in road vehicles has just been updated to keep the automotive industry ahead of the pack.
The OECD releases a video tutorial on how to find GHS information in eChemPortal through the substance search and how to search by GHS classification. Currently 11 databases provide GHS information, independent of whether the classifications have undergone a review by a regulatory body or intergovernmental organisation or are based on self-classifications by the producers or importers. In addition, two data sources have submitted structured GHS information that can directly be queried.
Other Relevant Information
Safety Share
As outdoor temperatures drop and winter storms approach, employers should take measures to keep their workers safe.
One-third (33 percent) of U.S. home fires that begin with Christmas trees occur in January. With this potential fire hazard in mind, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) strongly encourages everyone to remove Christmas trees from their homes promptly after the holiday season.
Comments are closed