Toxic substances list: oxidic, sulphidic, and soluble inorganic nickel compounds

Nickel is a naturally occurring element that is ubiquitous in the environment principally in the divalent state. Approximately 197 000 tonnes (t) of nickel are currently produced per year in Canada, most of which is sold abroad. Nickel and its alloys are used in a wide variety of industrial applications for the automobile, shipbuilding, electrical, oil, food, and chemical industries. Nickel enters the Canadian freshwater and terrestrial (soil) environment as a result of natural weathering and erosion of geological materials, e.g., glacial overburden and bedrock. Nickel is also released into the environment in Canada as a result of human activities including mining, smelting, refining, alloy processing, scrap metal reprocessing, other metal operations, fuel combustion, and waste incineration.

There is more than one CAS number that applies to this group of substances.

Risk Assessment

• Priority Substances List Assessment Report
• Order Adding Toxic Substances to Schedule 1 to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999
• 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.
• Full life cycle management of the substance (Track 2) under the Toxic Substances Management Policy

Source(s)

This substance is entering the environment from the following source(s):

• Base Metals Smelting Sector
• Electric Power Generation Sector (Fossil Fuel)
• Steel Manufacturing Sector

Risk Management Tool(s)

Tool(s) developed to manage risks associated with the substance:

• New Source Emission Guidelines for Thermal Electricity Generation, 2003-01-04 (PDF; 881 KB)
• New Source Emission Guidelines for Thermal Electricity Generation, 2003-01-04 (HTML)
• Environmental Code of Practice for Integrated Steel Mills
• Environmental Code of Practice for Non-Integrated Steel Mills
• Pollution Prevention Planning Notices - Base Metals Smelters and Refineries and Zinc Plants

Other Information

• The New Metal Mining Effluent Regulations (Fisheries Act)
• National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) - Information Centre
• North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation Web Site

Contact

Substances Management Information Line
Chemicals Management Plan
Gatineau, QC K1A 0H3

Telephone: 1-800-567-1999  (in Canada) or 819-938-3232
Fax: 819-938-3231
E-mail: eccc.substances.eccc@canada.ca

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