Pigments of the Aromatic Azo and Benzidine-based substance grouping

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The Aromatic Azo and Benzidine-based Substances are among those identified as priorities. Read more about the Aromatic Azo and Benzidine-based Substance Grouping.

Consultation Document

Some Aromatic Azo and Benzidine-based Substances, although concluded not to pose a risk to the environment or to human health at current levels of exposure, may be a concern if environmental exposures or exposures of the general population of Canada to these substances were to increase.

Options on how best to monitor changes in uses of substances identified to have environmental and/or human health effects of concern are being investigated, and this was communicated to stakeholders when the draft screening assessments were published. Health Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada have published a Consultation Document on the Options for Addressing Aromatic Azo and Benzidine-based Substances with Effects of Concern, which describes potential options for information gathering or preventive actions on substances identified to have environmental or health effects of concern.

Stakeholders have the opportunity to contribute feedback during the consultation period, which ends May 10, 2017.

Summary of Publications

Final Screening Assessment for Pigments of the Aromatic Azo and Benzidine-based Substance Grouping
Subgroup Chemical Substances Public Comments on the Draft Screening Assessment Final Screening Assessment Proposed Risk Management Approach
Certain Diarylide Yellow Pigments See List of Certain Diarylide Yellow Pigments HTML HTML None
Certain Monoazo Pigments See List of Certain Monoazo Pigments HTML HTML None
Timelines
Date Subgroup Affected Activity
March 11, 2017 Certain Monoazo Pigments, and Certain Diarylide Yellow Pigments Publication of a Consultation Document on the Options for Addressing Aromatic Azo and Benzidine-based Substances with Effects of Concern, and start of a 60-day public comment period.
May 28, 2016 Certain Monoazo Pigments Publication in Canada Gazette of final assessment decision under subsection 77(6) of CEPA 1999.
December 17, 2014 Certain Diarylide Yellow Pigments Publication in Canada Gazette, Part II of Order amending the Domestic Substances List (DSL) to rescind the Significant New Activity (SNAc) provisions on CPAOBP (CAS RN 78952-70-2).
October 11, 2014 Certain Diarylide Yellow Pigments Publication in Canada Gazette of final assessment decision under subsection 77(6) of CEPA 1999 and proposal to rescind the SNAc provisions for one substance, CPAOBP (CAS RN 78952-70-2).
January 1, 2014 Certain Monoazo Pigments Deadline for submission of public comment on draft screening assessment.
November 2, 2013 Certain Monoazo Pigments Publication in Canada Gazette of proposed assessment decision under subsection 77(1) of CEPA 1999, publication of proposed risk management scope document for Pigment Red 4, and start of 60-day public comment period on these documents.
August 14, 2013 Certain Diarylide Yellow Pigments Deadline for submission of public comment on draft screening assessment.
June 15, 2013 Certain Diarylide Yellow Pigments Publication in Canada Gazette of proposed assessment decisions under subsection 77(1) of CEPA 1999, and start of 60-day public comment period on the draft screening assessment.
April 16, 2012 Certain Diarylide Yellow Pigments , Certain Monoazo Pigments Deadline for submission of additional information by interested stakeholders, including on the extent and nature of the management/stewardship.
If needed, information gathering tools could be used to inform potential risk management actions.

Final Screening Assessments

Certain Diarylide Yellow Pigments

In October 2014, the final screening assessment for five substances was released and the related Notice was published in the Canada Gazette Part I: Vol. 148 No. 41 – October 11, 2014 (PDF Version - 1,015 K).

The final screening assessment concluded that these five substances do not meet any of the criteria set out in section 64 of CEPA 1999. Therefore, the Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Health have proposed to take no further action on these substances at this time under the Act. Two substances in this subgroup, BPAOPB (CAS RN 7147-42-4; Batch 6) and Pigment Brown 22 (CAS RN 29398-96-7; Batch 7), were previously assessed under the Challenge Initiative of the Chemicals Management Plan. It was concluded that they did not pose a risk to the environment or to human health as set out in section 64 of CEPA 1999. These conclusions remain unchanged. BPAOPB is used as an analogue in this screening assessment due to its structural similarity to the five diarylide yellow pigments. Information related to BPAOPB is used to inform this draft screening assessment. Pigment Brown 22 is not included in this draft screening assessment, as no new information was received since its assessment in 2010 and because it does not inform the assessment of the five diarylide yellow pigments.

CPAOBP (CAS RN 78952-70-2) was previously assessed in April 2008 as part of an assessment of 145 Persistent, Bioaccumulative and inherently Toxic (PBiT) substances. That assessment identified potential concerns with respect to new uses for CPAOBP and, therefore, the Government of Canada had implemented SNAc provisions for this substance. The current screening assessment concludes that this substance is no longer of concern to the environment, nor considered as having health effects of concern. Consequently, an Order was published in the Canada Gazette, Part II in December 2014 rescinding the obligations under the SNAc provisions of CEPA 1999 concerning this substance.

In June 2013, the draft screening assessment was released and the related Notice was published in the Canada Gazette, Part I: Vol. 147, No. 25 - June 15, 2013 (PDF Version - 2,106 K) for a 60-day public comment period.

Certain Monoazo Pigments

In May 2016, the final screening assessment for 33 substances was released and the related Notice was published in the Canada Gazette, Part I: Vol. 150, No. 22 - May 28, 2016 (PDF Version - 2,437 K).

The final screening assessment concluded that the monoazo pigments assessed do not meet any of the criteria set out in section 64 of the CEPA 1999. Therefore, the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change and the Minister of Health have proposed to take no further action on these substances at this time under the Act. One substance that was proposed to be harmful to human health in the draft screening assessment, Pigment Red 4, is now concluded not to pose a risk to either the environment or human health, based on consideration of revised information. For this reason, no proposed risk management approach document was prepared.

Eleven substances in this subgroup were previously assessed under the Challenge Initiative of the Chemical Management Plan. During the Challenge Initiative, it was concluded that Pigment Red 3 (Batch 3) poses a risk to human health as set out in paragraph 64(c) of CEPA 1999. Significant new information relevant to the assessment of the remaining 10 substances (except Pigment Red 3) has been identified to inform the assessment of the Certain Monoazo Pigments subgroup. The final screening assessment reflected this updated information.

Two substances included in the monoazo pigments subgroup, Pigment Yellow 60 and Pigment Red 251, were previously assessed under the Challenge Initiative of the Chemicals Management Plan. Two other substances included in the monoazo pigments subgroup, NANPAP and NAPNPA, were previously assessed in April 2008 as part of an assessment of 145 PBiT substances. As a result of the conclusions of these previous assessments, the Government had implemented SNAc provisions of CEPA 1999 for these four substances. The current screening assessment concludes that these four substances are no longer of concern to the environment, nor considered as having health effects of concern. Consequently, an Order was published in the Canada Gazette, Part II in October 2016 rescinding the obligations under the SNAc provisions of CEPA 1999 concerning these four substances.

In November 2013, the draft screening assessment was released and the related Notice was published in the Canada Gazette, Part I: Vol. 147, No. 44 - November 2, 2013 (PDF Version - 1,732 K). A risk management scope document for Pigment Red 4 was also released on this date. 60-day public comment periods were associated with these publications.

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