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Title |
Assessments of Priority Substances
under the Canadian Environmental Protection |
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Description |
CEPA 1999 requires the Ministers
of the Environment and of Health to establish a |
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Priority Substances List (PSL)
that identifies substances to be assessed on a |
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priority basis to determine
whether they pose a significant risk to the health of |
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Canadians or to the environment.
Assessments of substances placed on the PSL |
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are the shared responsibility
of Environment Canada and Health Canada. The |
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assessment and management
of priority substances under CEPA 1999 occurs in |
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two distinct phases. Scientists
must first determine whether a substance is "toxic" |
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as defined under Section 64
of CEPA. Under CEPA 1999; a substance is defined |
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as "toxic" if it
enters or may enter the environment in amounts or under conditions
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that may pose a risk to human
health; the environment; or to the environment that |
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supports human life. Thus;
"toxic" in the context of CEPA 1999 is a function of both |
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the inherent properties of
a substance and of the amounts; concentrations; or |
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nature of entry of the substance
in the Canadian environment. For substances |
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determined to be "toxic";
management options are identified and implemented; in |
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consultation with stakeholders;
to reduce or eliminate the risks the substances |
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pose to human health or the
environment. There are three substances under the |
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Stockholm Convention; which
have been assessed as toxic under CEPA PSL |
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including: hexachlorobenzene;
polychlorinated dibenzodioxins and polychlorinated |
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