Environment notices: PFAS, boric acid, nanotubes

Summary#

This Canada Gazette issue contains several Environment notices that affect chemicals, consumer products, water quality and new organisms. Key items include a ministerial condition allowing a specific form of multi-walled carbon nanotubes to be made or imported under strict limits; draft and final assessments proposing regulatory action on boric acid and certain benzothiazoles; the Government’s State of PFAS report that would treat the class (excluding fluoropolymers) as a concern; a short public consultation on three new genetically modified GloFish lines; and a draft drinking-water guideline for arsenic of 0.005 mg/L (5 μg/L).

What it does#

• Ministerial Condition No. 21979 under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 allows the notifier to manufacture or import a specific form of summed multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Confidential Substance Identity Number 19763-1) but only with conditions. These include:
  • No use or import into consumer products that can create respiratory particles by spray, aerosol or mist.
  • Limits on concentrations in coatings (0.01% by weight) and in structural building materials (0.06% by weight).
  • Requirements to pass the substance only to parties who agree to the conditions, to report accidental releases, and to keep records for at least 5 years. The conditions came into force February 21, 2025.
• An updated draft assessment for boric acid, its salts and its precursors proposes to add these substances to Part 2 of Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The assessment finds environmental and human-health concerns in some uses and calls for risk management work. Readers can comment between March 8, 2025, and May 7, 2025. The notice cites large imports (about 54,810–65,795 tonnes per year from 2017–2020) and ongoing uses in insulation, cleaning products, self-care products, agriculture and many industries.
• A final assessment for the Benzotriazoles and Benzothiazoles Group concludes that six benzothiazole substances that can release 2‑mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT) meet CEPA concern criteria and are proposed for addition to Schedule 1, while nine benzotriazoles do not meet the criteria. A risk management approach is released for feedback (comment period March 8–May 7, 2025). Uses noted include rubber vulcanization (tires), metalworking, mining and some consumer products.
• The State of PFAS Report concludes that the class of PFAS (excluding fluoropolymers) meets one or more criteria under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 because of their extreme persistence, mobility and potential for harm. The ministers propose to add the class (excluding fluoropolymers) to Schedule 1 and to take phased regulatory action that would prohibit some uses not already regulated (for example beyond certain firefighting foams). A risk management approach is open for comment March 8–May 7, 2025. The report summarizes widespread PFAS presence, sources, and health/environment concerns.
• The New Substances program is consulting on three genetically modified aquarium fish — GloFish® Corydoras Electric Green®, Moonrise Pink® and Sunburst Orange® (notified by Spectrum Brands Canada) — and invites public comment from March 8 to April 6, 2025.
• Health Canada published a draft Guidelines for Canadian drinking water quality — Arsenic proposing a maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) of 0.005 mg/L (5 μg/L) for inorganic arsenic. The draft is open for comment from March 7 to May 6, 2025 and notes that municipal treatment and some certified home devices (reverse osmosis) can meet the proposed level.

Who's affected#

• Chemical manufacturers, importers and distributors of nanotubes, PFAS, boric acid compounds, benzothiazoles and related products.
• Rubber and tire manufacturers, metalworking and mining companies, and producers of coatings, insulation and building materials.
• Retailers and hobbyists of aquarium fish and companies involved in ornamental fish trade, including Spectrum Brands Canada.
• Municipal water utilities, private well owners, and companies that make or sell water-treatment systems and devices.
• Consumers who use arts-and-crafts materials, cosmetics, cleaning products, flame retardants, DIY products, and swimming pool/spa maintenance products — some of these are identified as contributors to exposure.
• Indigenous communities and people living near PFAS-contaminated sites or certain industrial facilities, as the notices highlight potential local hotspots and disproportionate exposures.
• Federal and provincial regulators and public-health bodies who will take part in follow-up risk management.

Why it matters#

• These notices could lead to new regulations or controls. That can change what chemicals companies can make, import or put in products and how they must handle them.
• The PFAS conclusion is broad: treating an entire class (minus fluoropolymers) as meeting CEPA concern criteria signals future, wider controls and possible phase-outs. That matters for many everyday products and long-term environmental cleanup.
• Restrictions on the specific nanotube and on benzothiazoles target uses that could release particles or persistent chemicals, reducing risks to workers, consumers and ecosystems.
• The boric acid update and arsenic guideline focus on everyday exposures — through products, food and drinking water — and may affect standards for manufacturers and water utilities. The proposed arsenic MAC of 0.005 mg/L (5 μg/L) is intended to reflect cancer risk and what treatment can reasonably achieve.
• Public comment periods (mostly March 8–May 7, 2025, and the GloFish window March 8–April 6, 2025) give citizens, industries and scientists a chance to submit data or concerns before risk management steps are finalized.