Regulatory Cooperation Council chemicals management work plan: Stream B - Risk assessment

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Health Canada (HC), and the Unites States (U.S.) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have collaborated to facilitate and enhance collaboration between the 3 governmental organizations for the risk-based assessment of chemicals within their respective legislative and regulatory context.

Work plan outcomes and supporting documents

Assessment collaboration framework and the rolling work plan

The Assessment Collaboration Framework between the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Health Canada aims to facilitate and enhance collaboration between the U.S. EPA, ECCC, and HC for the risk-based assessment of chemicals within their respective legislative and regulatory contexts. Stakeholder engagement and broad communication to the public are additional goals. This framework was developed as per Initiative C of the risk assessment work stream B.

The objectives of the framework will be achieved through the implementation of the Assessment Collaboration Framework: Canada – United States Rolling Work Plan, which was included as an appendix to the framework. This work plan outlines the key regulatory areas of focus for risk assessment: information gathering and sharing, priority setting activities, data evaluation, risk assessment approaches and methodology for existing and new chemicals, and risk assessment work sharing. The annual operational plans of each government will reflect these elements.

Chemicals management work plan – risk assessment work stream summary report, April 2018

The report provides a summary of the activities that have been undertaken under the RCC Chemicals Management Work Plan (2015) for the risk assessment work stream. These activities were grouped under 3 initiatives:

A) comparative analysis of regulatory risk assessment frameworks
B) collaboration on common priorities
C) development of an assessment collaboration framework

This report is available upon request. Please contact: ec.ccrsubstances-rccsubstances.ec@canada.ca

Regulatory Frameworks and Approaches for the Risk Assessment of Existing Chemicals in Canada under CEPA 1999 and in the United States under TSCA: Background Paper to Inform Regulatory Cooperation Council Deliberations, August 2015

A comparative analysis of Canadian and U.S. regulatory frameworks and approaches for risk assessment of existing chemicals was completed in August 2015 that investigated similarities and differences in aspects such as: regulatory authority, timelines, priority-setting, information gathering, science-based risk assessments, science policy, and public consultation.

Opportunities for improved alignment and future collaboration were identified, for example, in the areas of data gathering and sharing, and guidance documents for risk assessment (including use of common terminology). Potential challenges to alignment were identified, including the ability to share confidential business information (CBI), the inability to assess certain chemicals [for example, those regulated under other federal statutes or that fall outside the regulatory scope of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) or the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)], and inclusion of occupational risks within scope of assessments under TSCA but not under CEPA 1999.