Proposed re-evaluation decision PRVD2025-03, Carbon Dioxide and its associated end-use products

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Pest Management Regulatory Agency
28 February 2025
ISSN: 1925-0967 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-27/2025-3E-PDF (PDF version)

Summary

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To obtain a full copy of Proposed re-evaluation decision PRVD2025-03, Carbon Dioxide and its associated end-use products please contact our publications office.

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Table of contents

• Proposed re-evaluation decision for carbon dioxide and its associated end-use products
• Proposed re-evaluation decision for carbon dioxide
• Risk mitigation measures
• International context
• Next steps
• Other information
• Additional scientific information

Proposed re-evaluation decision for carbon dioxide and its associated end-use products

Under the authority of the Pest Control Products Act, all registered pesticides must be re-evaluated by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) to ensure that they continue to meet current health and environmental standards and continue to have value. The re-evaluation considers data and information from pesticide registrants, published scientific reports and other regulatory agencies. Health Canada applies internationally accepted risk assessment methods as well as current risk management approaches and policies.

Carbon dioxide is an insecticide and rodenticide fumigant. It is registered for use as a fumigant gas for the control of insects in grain and flour storage areas and for the control of rodents in aircraft fuselage. The shipboard, in-transit ship, and ship hold fumigation uses of carbon dioxide are no longer supported by the registrant and will be removed from the end-use product label. Therefore, these uses are not considered as part of this re-evaluation. Carbon dioxide is applied using pressurized containers and fumigation equipment suitable for dispensing gas. Currently, there is one technical grade active ingredient and one restricted-class end-use product containing carbon dioxide registered in Canada. These products can be found in the Pesticide Product Information Database and in Appendix I of the full version of Proposed Re-evaluation Decision PRVD2025-03, Carbon Dioxide and its associated end-use products. Appendix II of PRVD2025-03 lists all uses for which carbon dioxide is presently registered that are supported by the registrant.

The registered restricted-class end-use product containing carbon dioxide is only to be used by individuals holding an appropriate pesticide applicator certificate or license recognized by the provincial/territorial pesticide agency where the application occurs.

This document (PRVD2025-03) presents the proposed re-evaluation decision for carbon dioxide, including the proposed amendments (risk mitigation measures) to protect human health and the environment , as well as the science evaluation on which the proposed decision is based. For the human health review, Health Canada considered information from other regulatory agencies, such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the European Union (EU)/European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CalDPR). All products containing carbon dioxide as the active ingredient that are registered in Canada are subject to this proposed re-evaluation decision. This document is subject to a 90-day public consultation period^{Footnote 1}, during which the public (including the registrant and stakeholders) may submit written comments and additional information to PMRA Publications . The final re-evaluation decision will be published after taking into consideration the comments received during the consultation period.

Proposed re-evaluation decision for carbon dioxide

Health Canada, under the authority of the Pest Control Products Act, has conducted all evaluations considered necessary with respect to the health and environmental risks and value of carbon dioxide based on available scientific information in accordance with subsection 16(6) of the Pest Control Products Act. Based on these evaluations, Health Canada is proposing for public consultation, pursuant to section 28 of the Pest Control Products Act, the continued registration of the following uses of carbon dioxide and the associated end-use product registered for sale and use in Canada under section 21 of the Pest Control Products Act:

• Fumigation of grain and flour storage areas for control of grain insects.
• Aircraft fuselage fumigation for control of rodents.

The registered shipboard, in-transit ship, and ship hold fumigation uses of carbon dioxide are no longer supported for continued registration by the registrant; therefore, these uses of carbon dioxide will be removed from the end-use product label.

With respect to human health, risks are considered to be acceptable when carbon dioxide is used according to the proposed conditions of registration, which include the implementation of the proposed mitigation and label amendments outlined below and in Appendix III of PRVD2025-03.

For environment, based on the current use pattern for carbon dioxide, risk to non-target organisms is considered acceptable. Label amendments outlined below and in Appendix III of PRVD2025-03 are proposed to meet current standards.

Carbon dioxide and its end-use product have acceptable value with the proposed label amendments outlined below and in Appendix III of PRVD2025-03.

Risk mitigation measures

Registered pesticide product labels include specific directions for use. Directions include risk mitigation measures to protect human health and the environment and must be followed by law. The proposed label amendments including any revised/updated label statements and/or mitigation measures, as a result of the re-evaluation of carbon dioxide, are summarized below. Refer to Appendix III of PRVD2025-03 for details. Additional revisions to the carbon dioxide labels are also proposed to meet the current labelling standards.

Human health

Risk mitigation:

The following risk mitigation measures are proposed to reduce potential exposure and risk to human health.

To protect workers from carbon dioxide exposure, the following risk-reduction measures are proposed (details are included in Appendix III of PRVD2025-03):

• Personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements and precautionary statements to bring the product labels up to current standards, including statements requiring applicators and other fumigation handlers to wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants, shoes, and socks and protective eyewear, such as a full-face shield or goggles, when handling liquid, if full-face respiratory protection is not being used.
• Higher levels of respiratory protection for applicators when conducting fumigation treatment (in other words, requiring self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) and supplied air respirators to be operated in positive pressure mode.
• Requirements for air monitoring and gas detection equipment.
• Establishment of treatment and aeration buffer zones based on real-time air monitoring, with a minimum distance of 3 meters required during the treatment period.
• A site-specific fumigation management plan must be completed prior to each fumigation application.
• Updated instructions for aeration and re-entry.
• Mandatory training must be completed annually by all employees working in the fumigation facility.

Label amendments to meet current standards:

• Updated placarding statements for treatment areas and buffer zone perimeters.
• Updated spill and leak procedures.
• Updated instructions for disposal.
• As part of the updates to label text related to fumigation of grain storage areas. Add “Warning: contains the allergen sulfites”.

Environment

Label amendments to meet current standards:

• Updated instructions for disposal/decontamination.
• Add instructions for management of any emission resulting from the use of carbon dioxide.

Value

Label amendments to meet current standards:

• Removal of all label texts related to shipboard, in-transit ship or ship hold fumigation.
• Updated instructions for direction for use.

With the proposed risk-reduction measures and label amendments, potential risks to human health and the environment are considered to be acceptable for carbon dioxide and its end-use product when used as a space and commodity fumigant to treat grain and flour storage areas and aircraft fuselages, and the products have acceptable value.

International context

Carbon dioxide is currently acceptable for use in other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries, including the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and the United States. Internationally and within the available information, no evidence of a ban as of 9 October 2024 to prohibit all uses of carbon dioxide for health or environmental reasons has been identified.

Next steps

Upon publication of this proposed re-evaluation decision, the public, including the registrant and stakeholders, are encouraged to submit comments and additional information during the 90-day public consultation period.

Health Canada will accept written comments on this proposal up to 90 days from the date of publication of this document (by 29 May 2025). Comments on the proposed decision can be submitted during the consultation period to the PMRA through PMRA Publications, or the Public Engagement Portal (Public Engagement Forms - Consultation Comment). For more information or if you have questions, contact the PMRA’s Pest Management Information Service.
Before making a re-evaluation decision on carbon dioxide under section 21 of the Pest Control Products Act, the comments received during the consultation period will be taken into consideration in preparation of the final re-evaluation decision document. A science-based approach will be applied in making a final decision on carbon dioxide. In accordance with subsection 28(5) of the Pest Control Products Act, Health Canada will then publish a final re-evaluation decision document, which will include the decision, the reasons for it, a summary of the comments received on the proposed re-evaluation decision during the consultation period, and Health Canada’s response to these comments.

Refer to Appendix I of PRVD2025-03 for details on specific products impacted by this proposed decision.

Other information

The relevant confidential test data on which the proposed decision is based (as listed in the References Section of PRVD2025-03) are available for public inspection, upon application, in PMRA’s Reading Room. For more information, please contact the Pest Management Information Service.

Additional scientific information

No additional scientific data are being requested.