16 Substances Added to Domestic Substances List

Summary#

This is Order 2020-87-10-01 Amending the Domestic Substances List, a federal order that adds 16 substances to Canada’s inventory of existing chemicals under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The order took effect on the day it was registered (September 16, 2020) and was published in the Canada Gazette on September 30, 2020.

What it does#

• Adds 16 substances to the Domestic Substances List (DSL).
  • 3 substances are added to Part 1 of the DSL and are identified by their CAS Registry Numbers.
  • 13 substances are added to Part 3 and are listed by masked names and Confidential Accession Numbers (CANs).
• Because these substances are now on the DSL, they are no longer subject to pre‑market notification under the New Substances Notification Regulations (Chemicals and Polymers).
• The order is administrative: it records that the government received and assessed the required information and that no conditions restricting import or manufacture were in effect for these substances when they were added.

Who's affected#

• Businesses that manufacture or import the listed substances in Canada. They no longer need to submit new‑substance notifications for these particular substances.
• Chemical suppliers, formulators, and downstream manufacturers who use these substances in products may find it easier to obtain and use them.
• Regulators and environmental/health stakeholders monitoring new substances.
• It is unclear which specific companies, products, or industries will notice the change because 13 of the substances are listed under masked names to protect confidential business information.

Why it matters#

• For businesses, being added to the DSL removes a pre‑market regulatory step and can speed access to a substance for manufacture, import or use in products.
• It does not mean the government “approves” the substances for safety or that other laws and rules do not apply. The order itself is an administrative step under CEPA.
• Consumers or communities may see these substances show up in products or industrial use more easily; whether that has health or environmental effects depends on separate assessments or regulations that could happen later.