BAPP – information sheet

Benzenamine, 4,4' -[(1-methylethylidene)bis(4,1-phenyleneoxy)]bis-

CAS Registry Number 13080-86-9

Updated August 19, 2020:

The Final Screening Assessment for BAPP was published on October 28, 2017 under the Chemicals Management Plan (CMP). The assessment is summarized in this information sheet. The section in this information sheet entitled "Preventive actions and reducing risk" communicates updates in risk management activities, namely:

• Application of Significant New Activity (SNAc) provisions of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) to BAPP.

On this page

• Overview
• About this substance
• Human and ecological exposures
• Key health and ecological effects (hazard)
• Risk assessment outcomes
  • Screening assessment conclusions
• Preventive actions and reducing risk
• Related information

Overview

• The Government of Canada conducted a science-based evaluation, called a screening assessment, to address the potential for harm to Canadians and to the environment from BAPP.
• Under CEPA 1999, the risk posed by a substance is determined by considering both its hazardous properties (its potential to cause adverse human health or ecological effects) and the amount of exposure there is to people and the environment. A substance may have hazardous properties; however, the risk to human health or to the environment may be low depending upon the level of exposure.
  • More information on assessing risk can be found in the Overview of Risk Assessment and related fact sheets, particularly on Types of Risk Assessment Documents and the Risk Assessment Toolbox.
• As a result of the screening assessment, the Government concluded that BAPP is not harmful to human health or the environment, at levels of exposure considered in the assessment.

About this substance

• The screening assessment focused on the substance benzenamine, 4,4' -[(1-methylethylidene)bis(4,1-phenyleneoxy)]bis-, also known as BAPP. It was assessed as part of Batch 12 of the Challenge initiative of the CMP.
• According to information gathered by the Government, BAPP is a human-made chemical that is used mainly as an additive in corrosion-inhibiting adhesive bonding primers that are used for the aerospace industry in Canada.

Human and ecological exposures

• The screening assessment indicated that Canadians are not expected to be exposed to BAPP.
• The majority of BAPP is chemically transformed during its use in industrial processes. BAPP is released to the environment due to container handling and the spraying of aircraft parts.
• BAPP is not expected to break-down quickly in the environment. It persists in water, soil and sediments.

Key health and ecological effects (hazard)

• There was little health effects information identified for BAPP; however, predictive modelling tools indicated that potential hazardous properties, such as carcinogenicity (potential to cause cancer), could be associated with BAPP.
• This substance has the potential to accumulate in organisms and may biomagnify in trophic food chains. In addition, BAPP is highly hazardous to aquatic organisms.

Risk assessment outcomes

• As exposure of Canadians to BAPP in Canada was expected to be negligible at the time of the assessment, the risk to human health was considered to be low.
• The final screening assessment indicated that BAPP has the potential to remain in the environment for a long time and accumulate in organisms; however, the quantity of BAPP that has the potential to be released to the environment is below the level expected to cause harm to organisms.
• The Government of Canada published the Final Screening Assessment for BAPP on October 28, 2017.

Screening assessment conclusions

• The Government concluded that BAPP is not harmful to human health at levels of exposure considered in the assessment.
• The Government also concluded that BAPP is not entering the environment at levels that are harmful to the environment.

Preventive actions and reducing risk

• Although BAPP was not considered to be harmful to human health or the environment at the time of the assessment, this substance is associated with ecological effects of concern. There may be a risk if use patterns of the substance were to change, or concentrations in the environment were to increase.
• Therefore, the Government published an order amending the Domestic Substances List (DSL) to apply SNAc provisions of CEPA 1999 to BAPP on August 19, 2020.
• This requires that the Government be notified of proposed new activities related to BAPP, and that the new activity be assessed for potential risks to human health and the environment before being undertaken.

Related information

• The screening assessment focused on potential risks from exposure of the general population of Canada, rather than occupational exposure. Hazards related to chemicals used in the workplace are defined within the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System. For information concerning workplace health and safety and what steps to take in the workplace, Canadians should consult their employer and/or the Occupational Health and Safety Regulator in their jurisdiction.