Chemical import conditions and PM2.5 standards

Summary#

This Canada Gazette item includes two main Environment notices. It authorizes limited manufacture or import of the chemical 1,3-propanediamine, N-[3-(C11-14-isoalkyloxy)propyl] derivs., C13-rich, acetates (CAS RN 151789-08-1) under conditions set out under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. It also sets new national air quality objectives for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) to take effect on January 1, 2030.

What it does#

• Ministerial Condition No. 22175 for the chemical:

  • Allows the person who notified the government (the “notifier”) to manufacture or import the substance, but only under specific conditions and limits.
  • Prohibits importing or using the substance in uncured form in consumer products or cosmetics, unless it is chemically reacted into a stable matrix and cured during manufacture.
  • Requires the notifier to give the government at least 120 days notice before starting manufacture in Canada and to provide plans, quantities, transport and waste-handling details, and manufacturing process information.
  • Limits who can receive the substance by requiring written agreements from transferees to follow the conditions.
  • Sets disposal rules (e.g., thorough rinsing and either reuse of rinsate in mining flotation processing or disposal in an engineered hazardous waste landfill), and requires immediate action and notification if there is an accidental release.
  • Requires keeping detailed records for at least five years, with most records to be created or updated within 30 days of new information.
  • These conditions came into force on July 28, 2025.

• Updated Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standards (CAAQS) for PM2.5:

  • Sets new 2030 targets:
    • 24-hour standard: 23 µg/m3 (measured as the 3‑year average of the annual 98th percentile of daily 24‑hour concentrations).
    • Annual standard: 8.0 µg/m3 (measured as the 3‑year average of the annual average of daily 24‑hour concentrations).
  • The new standards replace the previous 2020 CAAQS and take effect at 12:00 a.m. on January 1, 2030.
  • The notice says provinces and territories will use these objectives within the Air Quality Management System and defined air‑zone management levels to guide local actions.

Who's affected#

• For the chemical conditions:

  • The notifier who provided information to the government and any companies that would import, manufacture, distribute, or handle this specific substance.
  • Waste handlers and landfill operators that would receive containers or residues.
  • Manufacturers of consumer products or cosmetics that might have used the substance — the rules restrict use in those products unless the substance is cured into a stable matrix.

• For the PM2.5 update:

  • Federal, provincial and territorial governments that manage air quality and report on it.
  • Industries and facilities that emit fine particulate matter (for example, energy, manufacturing, transportation, and some mining operations), because the stricter objectives are intended to drive further local actions.
  • People living in or near areas with poorer air quality; public health and environmental organizations tracking air pollution.

Why it matters#

• The chemical notice is a tight, condition-based permission to let a specific substance be made or brought into Canada while limiting its use in consumer goods and setting clear rules for notification, transfer, disposal, and record-keeping. That reduces the chance of unplanned releases and keeps regulators informed about where and how it’s used.

• The stricter PM2.5 objectives are intended to reduce harmful air pollution by 2030. Health Canada estimates about 12,500 premature deaths in Canada can be linked to long-term exposure to ambient PM2.5, so lowering these targets is meant to improve public health and protect ecosystems. Provinces and territories will use the updated standards to guide local air-quality actions and reporting.