Toxic substances list: hexachlorobenzene (HCB)

Hexachlorobenzene (HCB) has not been used commercially in Canada since 1972, although it is released to the Canadian environment in trace amounts as a by-product from the manufacture and use of chlorinated solvents and pesticides, through long-range transport and deposition, and "in emissions" from incinerators and other industrial processes.

Regulations have been in place for HCB since 2003. Formerly the regulations for HCB focused on the known sources of this substance in Canada. HCB has been prohibited globally under the Stockholm Convention and the Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants under the United Nations Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. With the publication of the Prohibition of Certain Toxic Substances Regulations, 2012, Canada has strengthened its controls for HCB in order to ensure continued compliance with international obligations.

CAS (Chemical Abstracts Service) registry number: 118-74-1

Risk assessment

• Priority Substances List Assessment Report
• Notice concerning the confirmation of "Track 1 substance" status for hexachlorobenzene, as determined by assessment of these substances against the Track 1 criteria of the Toxic Substances Management Policy
• CEPA 1999 Schedule 1 - List of Toxic Substances - This substance has been added to the List of Toxic Substances. It is entering or may enter the environment in a quantity or concentration or under conditions that:
  a) have or may have an immediate or long-term harmful effect on the environment or its biological diversity;
  c) constitute or may constitute a danger in Canada to human life or health.
• Virtual elimination of the substance (Track 1) under the Toxic Substances Management Policy

Sources

This substance is entering the environment from the following sources:

• Industrial, Commercial and Consumer Products
• Wood Preservation Sector

Strategic options report

Click on the following link to view strategies and actions recommended to manage risks associated with the substance:

• Strategic Options for the Management of Toxic Substances 

Risk management tools

Tools developed to manage risks associated with the substance:

• Prohibition of Certain Toxic Substances Regulations, 2012
• Recommendations for the Design and Operation of Wood Preservation Facilities
• Pollution Prevention Planning Notices - Wood Preservation Facilities

International engagement

For information on Canada's international engagement on these substances, please visit:

• Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
• Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade
• Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA)
• Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) (Protocol to the UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP))

Consultation

Consultation (past and present) on the substance:

• Proposed Regulations Respecting the Total, Partial and Conditional Prohibition of Certain Toxic Substance, (archived consultation document)
• Notice (DRAFT) requiring the preparation and implementation of pollution prevention plans in respect of inorganic arsenic compounds, hexavalent chromium compounds, polychlorinated dibenzodioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans, and/or hexachlorobenzene used by wood preservation facilities
• Proposed notice requiring the preparation and implementation of pollution prevention plans in respect of inorganic arsenic compounds, hexavalent chromium compounds, polychlorinated dibenzodioxins, polychlorinated dibenzofurans and/or hexachlorobenzene used by wood preservation facilities 
• Response to Comments on the Proposed Notice Requiring the Preparation and Implementation of Pollution Prevention Plans in Respect of Inorganic Arsenic Compounds, Hexavalent Chromium Compounds, Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins, Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans and/or Hexachlorobenzene used by Wood Preservation Facilities

Other information

• Prohibition of Certain Toxic Substances Regulations, 2005 (Repealed)
• Prohibition of Certain Toxic Substances Regulations, 2003 (Repealed)
• Revised Draft: Prohibition of Certain Toxic Substances Regulations, 2005
• Level of Quantification (LoQ) for HCB in Releases to Soil
• Level of Quantification (LoQ) for HCB in Air Emissions
• Dioxins and Furans and Hexachlorobenzene Inventory of Releases (January 1999)
• Release Inventory Report (February 2001)
• National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) - Information Centre
• North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation