Meeting record – November 28-29, 2018

Chemicals Management Plan Science Committee

Attendees

Committee members

• Miriam Diamond (Co-chair)
• Geoff Granville (Co-chair)
• Jon Arnot
• Niladri Basu
• Elaine Cohen Hubal
• Michelle Embry
• Mike Rasenberg

Regrets

• Richard Becker
• Weihsueh Chiu

Ad hoc members

• John McLaughlin (Chief Science Officer and Senior Scientist, Public Health Ontario)
• Leonardo Trasande (Vice Chair for Research and Director, New York University Langone Health)

Government of Canada Officials

• David Morin [Director General, Safe Environments Directorate (SED), Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch (HECSB), Health Canada (HC)]
• Tim Singer [Director General, Environmental and Radiation Health Sciences Directorate (ERHSD), HECSB, HC] (Day 1)
• Nicole Davidson [Director, Ecological Assessment Division (EAD), Science and Risk Assessment (SRA), Science and Technology Branch (STB), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)] (Day 1)
• Christine Norman [Director, Existing Substances Risk Assessment Bureau (ESRAB), SED, HECSB, HC]
• Patricia Pelletier [Director, Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau (EHSRB), ERHSD, HECSB, HC]
• Tara Barton-Maclaren (Senior Manager, ESRAB, SED, HECSB, HC)
• Yemi Agboola [Division Manager, Population Studies Division (PSD), EHSRB, ERHSD, HECSB, HC]
• Louise Hayes [Manager, Chemicals and Environmental Health Management Bureau (CEHMB), SED, HECSB, HC] (Day 2)
• Graham Howell [Senior Advisor / Policy Development Manager, Director General's Office (DGO), Policy, Planning and Integration Directorate (PPID), HECSB, HC]
• Kathy Hughes (Manager, ESRAB, SED, HECSB, HC)
• Muna Idris [Program Coordination Manager, CEHMB, SED, HECSB, HC] (Day 1)
• Daren Kelland [Manager, Risk Management Bureau (RMB), SED, HECSB, HC]
• Ellen Lye (Toxicologist, EHSRB, ERHSD, HECSB, HC)
• Arezoo Matin (Policy Analyst, ESRAB, SED, HECSB, HC) (Day 1)

Secretariat

• Julie Chouinard (Manager, ESRAB, SED, HECSB, HC)
• Christine MacKinnon-Roy (A/Science Advisor, ESRAB, SED, HECSB, HC)

Guest Presenter

• Kacee Deener [Deputy Director, United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA)]

Overview

The Chemicals Management Plan (CMP) Science Committee (the committee) met face-to-face on November 28-29, 2018. This meeting focused on considerations for a public health approach to chemicals management in Canada. The committee was asked a number of charge questions, including what fundamental elements would be required to develop a roadmap to advance a public health approach to chemicals management. This approach could support the Government of Canada's post-2020 program for chemicals management. The meeting included presentations from core and ad hoc members identifying considerations, tools and fundamental elements related to the development of a public health approach to chemicals management in Canada.
A full day was devoted to developing preliminary responses to the charge questions and half a day for the drafting of the report and next steps for completing the committee report. Outlined below is a brief summary of the meeting.

Day 1

Agenda item #1 (Introduction)

Christine Norman and Patricia Pelletier (Directors, HC) welcomed committee members and government officials. The agenda was reviewed and logistical items were addressed by Christine MacKinnon-Roy (Secretariat, HC).

Agenda item #2 (Opening remarks)

Tim Singer (Director General, HC) also welcomed the committee and thanked them for their contributions and time commitment. He provided an update on Government activities and why the Government would like to build upon the traditional risk-based approach with a public health-based approach to chemicals management in Canada.

Agenda item #3 (Update to affiliations and interests)

The committee core and ad hoc members declared updates to their affiliations and interests.

Agenda item #4 (Introductions of topic and charge questions)

Geoff Granville and Miriam Diamond (Co-chairs) introduced the charge questions.

Agenda item #5 (Presentation from Government of Canada official)

Patricia Pelletier (Director, HC) delivered a presentation on the charge questions, informing the committee of the Government's current approach to chemicals management, while seeking input to develop a roadmap addressing chemical risks using a public health approach.
Committee members began preliminary discussions of the charge questions.

Agenda item #6 (Presentation from U.S. EPA official)

The presenter from the U.S. EPA's Office of Research and Development, Kacee Deener, delivered the presentation entitled: Chemical risk assessment: A public health perspective.

Agenda item #7 (Perspectives from core and ad hoc members on topic)

The 2 ad hoc members, John McLaughlin and Leonardo Trasande, and 2 core members, Elaine Cohen Hubal and Niladri Basu, gave short presentations on their perspective on a public health approach t chemicals management and the charge questions.

Agenda items #8 and #9 (Discussion on charge questions)

Committee members began in-depth discussions on the charge questions. A round table gave each member the opportunity to discuss their perspective.

Agenda item #10 (In camera session)

In camera session with committee members only.

Day 2

Agenda item #11 (Housekeeping items/recap of day 1)

The co-chairs provided a recap of day 1.

Agenda items #12 and #13 (Discussion on charge questions)

Committee members engaged in productive discussions as they developed their responses to the charge questions.

Agenda items #14 and #15 (Committee report drafting)

The committee developed responses to the charge questions and began drafting the report.

Agenda item #16 (Next steps for formulation of written report)

The committee discussed next steps for developing the report. It was agreed that the co-chairs would provide members with a draft report for input and comment by mid-January 2019.

Agenda items #17 and #18 (Wrap up items and closing remarks)

Committee members were thanked for their participation.

The meeting was adjourned.