Non-confidential summary of information received from the second phase of the Domestic Substances List Inventory Update

Purpose

In an effort to increase public awareness and to facilitate access to information on manufactured and/or imported substances in Canada, this document provides a summary of information collected by the Government of Canada under the Notice with respect to certain substances on the Domestic Substances List (DSL) that was published in the Canada Gazette in December 2012. This document refers to both information provided in mandatory responses to the notice, and information provided on a voluntary basis. The information that was collected for the 2011 calendar year will be used to update the commercial status of remaining priority substances, inform priority setting, support risk assessment and risk management activities and inform the next phase of the DSL Inventory Update (DSL IU).

To complement this summary, the Non-confidential information received from the DSL IU2 is available in EXCEL format.

Please note that the information presented in this document is limited to what was requested in the notice and throughout the document confidential business information (CBI) has been protected (i.e., by providing quantity ranges, or excluding data elements that were designated by submitters as CBI). Consequently, this may have led to underestimates, so conclusions should be drawn with care.

Background

The Domestic Substances List (DSL) was first compiled in the early 1990’s to identify substances that were in commerce in Canada between 1984 and 1986. As commercial activities with some substances can vary greatly over time, the DSL information becomes dated and no longer represents current commercial activity in Canada. The work to update the DSL, undertaken under the Chemicals Management Plan (CMP) is conducted in phases.  The first phase of the DSL IU was conducted in 2009 to determine the commercial status in 2008 of approximately 500 inanimate substances. An Update of Approximately 500 inanimate substances (chemicals) on the Domestic Substances List (Information Summary) is available.

In December 2012, a notice was issued for the second phase of the DSL IU (DSL IU2) in the Canada Gazette, Part I: Vol. 146, No. 48 - December 1,2012 under section 71 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999). The notice applied to approximately 2,700 substances and collected information from the 2011 calendar year.

Prior to launching the notice, the Government of Canada held consultations with various stakeholders, including industry, non-governmental organizations and other interested parties to discuss the approach to gathering information on the remaining priority existing substances. The feedback provided during these consultations aided in the development of the overall approach for the DSL IU2. In order to streamline the reporting requirements to address reporting challenges, the Government of Canada tailored the DSL IU2 notice to ensure the focus was on areas of greatest interest. As such, manufactured items included in the notice were limited to categories with greatest potential for exposure. In addition, a tiered approach was used requiring only basic non-quantitative information for substances present in reportable manufactured items, low concentrations and for polymers.

Additional information on the DSL IU2 notice can be found in the Guidance Document for completing the CEPA section 71 Notice.

Summary of information collected

Overview of substances reported

It was determined that approximately half the substances included in the DSL IU2 notice were not reported. The Substances for which no information was submitted under Phase 2 of the DSL Inventory Update is available. These substances will be examined under the Rapid Screening and Polymer Approaches.

Polymers

The notice requested basic, non-quantitative information on polymers that will contribute to the Polymer approach in the next phase of the CMP.

Substances in reportable manufactured items

The notice requested non-quantitative information for substances that were manufactured or imported in a manufactured item, and focused on categories of manufactured items with a higher potential for exposure (e.g. intended to be used by children under the age of 6 years; clothing or footwear; bedding, sleeping bags or towels, specific food packaging, reusable food or beverage containers, etc.). The 10 categories of manufactured items that were reportable in DSL IU2 are listed in Schedule 1 of the Notice with respect to certain substances on the Domestic Substances List.

Substances in trace concentrations [less than 0.1% by weight (w/w)]

The notice requested basic, non-quantitative information for substances that were manufactured or imported in a mixture or product at a concentration less than 0.1% w/w.

Substances in concentrations greater than or equal to 0.1% w/w

The notice requested more detailed information, such as quantitative information, for substances that were manufactured or imported alone, in a mixture, or in a product in concentrations greater than or equal to 0.1% w/w.  A total of 748 substances were reported as manufactured or imported at a concentration greater than or equal to 0.1% w/w during the 2011 calendar year, and 273 of these substances were solely reported in DSL IU2 as being manufactured or imported at a concentration greater than or equal to 0.1%.

Moving forward

The information that was collected will be used to:

• update the commercial status of substances that are remaining priorities for assessment;
• inform priority setting for the next phase of the CMP;
• help align with international initiatives applicable to Canadian context;
• support subsequent risk assessment and risk management activities, where appropriate; and
• support key initiatives of the next phase of the CMP, such as the Rapid Screening Approach and the Polymer Approach.

Future phases of the IU will establish a mechanism to monitor the commercial status of substances in Canada. This work will inform priority setting activities, support the operational needs in risk assessment and risk management, and will consider international decisions on substances.  Furthermore, the Government of Canada is committed to continuing to communicate results of future inventory updates in order to increase transparency and public knowledge of chemicals in commerce in Canada.

Contact us

If you have questions on DSL IU2, or wish to be engaged in discussions about the third phase of the DSL IU, please Contact Us via the Substances Management Information Line.