Summary of public comments - draft federal environmental quality guidelines: Triclosan

Topic

Summarized comment (C)

Summarized response (R)

New information and data

C 1. The use patterns of cosmetics and personal care products containing triclosan have changed. The 2013 summary of usage is therefore not accurate.

C 2. New information was provided and a total of 9 changes were proposed to update the FEQG.

R 1:

• The amount of consumer products containing triclosan was determined based on information collected from the Section 71 data gathering exercise for the 2011 calendar year and was presented in the 2016 final risk assessment.
• It is recognized that use patterns may have changed; however, it does not impact the FEQG.  

R 2. Following a scientific review, three of the nine proposed revisions were accepted, because the studies supporting these revisions meet the criteria for use in a FEQG. The studies supporting the other six proposed changes did not meet those criteria. Studies which met our criteria were considered for inclusion in the Species Sensitivity Distribution (SSD) in accordance with the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (2007) protocol. The three accepted changes resulted in a slightly higher FEQG.

Requirements for developing FEQGs

C 3. The FEQG was not included in the proposed Risk Management Approach. Provide clarification regarding the circumstances that require the development of an FEQG to support a Pollution Prevention Planning Notice.

R 3:

• FEQGs may be developed at different times during the risk assessment and risk management cycle. For chemicals that undergo a regulatory ecological assessment under CEPA 1999, FEQGs are generally based on the same effects data considered in the ecological assessment.
• FEQGs may also provide stakeholders with targets for managing chemical substances whether or not a regulatory ecological assessment under CEPA 1999 is conducted.
• The Government of Canada continues to propose a Pollution Prevention (P2) Planning Notice to address environmental risks associated with triclosan and will take the FEQG into consideration. Stakeholders will have the opportunity to review the proposed P2 Notice and provide comments.