Nineteen substances on the Domestic Substances List associated with pesticidal uses - information sheet

Updated March 17, 2021:

The Final Screening Assessment of 19 Substances on the Domestic Substances List Associated with Pesticidal Uses was published in October 2016 under the Chemicals Management Plan (CMP). The assessment is summarized in this information sheet and has not changed. The section in this information sheet entitled "Preventive actions and reducing risk" communicates updates in risk management activities, namely:

Application of the Significant New Activity (SNAc) provisions of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999(CEPA 1999) to these substances.

The Government of Canada conducted a science-based screening assessment under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999(CEPA 1999) to address the potential for harm to Canadians and to the environment from the non-pesticidal uses of 19 substances.
The risk posed by a substance is determined by considering both its hazardous properties (its potential to cause adverse human health or ecological effects) and the amount of exposure there is to people and the environment.
As a result of the screening assessment, the Government concluded that these 19 substances are not harmful to human health or to the environment, at levels of exposure considered in the assessment. Although these substances are associated with human health and/or ecological effects of concern, it was determined that the risk posed by these substances to Canadians and to the environment from non-pesticidal uses is low at levels of exposure considered in the assessment.

The screening assessment summarized here focused on 19 substances on the Domestic Substances List (DSL) that are known to be used as active ingredients in pesticidal applications. They were assessed under the CMP.
According to information gathered by the Government, at the time of the assessment, no uses were identified in Canada for these 19 substances, other than those regulated by Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) under the Pest Control Products Act (PCPA).
Health Canada, as required under the PCPA, re-evaluates all registered pesticide products on a 15-year cycle to determine whether the use of these products continues to be acceptable according to current standards.

Exposure of Canadians and the environment from non-pesticidal uses of these substances was not expected, since no such uses in Canada were identified at the time of the assessment.
Any releases to the environment from pesticidal uses associated with these 19 substances have been assessed under the PCPA.

Six of the 19 substances (dichlorvos, captan, folpet, creosote, carbendazim, and thiophanate-methyl) are considered to have human health effects of concern, based upon their potential carcinogenicity and/or developmental/reproductive effects.
All 19 substances are associated with ecological effects of concern, based upon their high ecological toxicity.

Based upon the information presented in the screening assessment, exposure of Canadians from non-pesticidal uses of these 19 substances is not expected; therefore, the risk to human health is considered to be low.
Considering all information presented, it was determined that there is low risk of harm to the environment from non-pesticidal uses of these substances.
The Government of Canada published the Final Screening Assessment of 19 Substances on the DSL Associated with Pesticidal Uses on October 16, 2016.

The Government concluded that non-pesticidal uses of these 19 substances are not harmful to human health, at levels of exposure considered in the assessment.
The Government also concluded that these substances are not entering the environment from non-pesticidal uses at levels that are harmful to the environment.

Although non-pesticidal uses of these 19 substances were not identified at the time of the assessment, these substances are considered to have health and/or ecological effects of concern due to their potential to cause cancer and/or developmental/reproductive effects, or due to their high ecological toxicity. Therefore, there may be a concern if exposures were to increase, commercial use patterns were to change, or if concentrations in the environment were to increase from new non-pesticidal uses of these substances.
Therefore, the Government published an order amending the Domestic Substances List (DSL) to apply SNAc provisions of CEPA 1999 to these 19 substances on March 17, 2021.
This requires that the Government be notified of certain proposed new activities related to these substances, and that the new activity be assessed for potential risks to human health and the environment before being undertaken.

These substances may be found in products available to consumers. Canadians should follow any safety warnings and directions related to the product and dispose of products responsibly.
The screening assessment for these 19 substances focused on potential risks from exposure to the general population of Canada, rather than occupational exposure. Hazards related to chemicals used in the workplace are defined within the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS). For information concerning workplace health and safety and what steps to take in the workplace, Canadians should consult their employer and/or the Occupational Health and Safety Regulator in their jurisdiction.