Final screening: fatty acids, pigments, nitro musks

Summary#

On August 1, 2020, Health Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada published final screening assessments under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 for several groups of chemicals. They concluded the assessed substances in the Fatty Acids and Derivatives Group (9), the Pigments and Dyes Group (6) and the Nitro Musks Group (2) do not meet the Act’s risk criteria and the ministers propose to take no further action at this time.

What it does#

• Publishes final screening assessments for three groups of substances:
  • Fatty Acids and Derivatives Group — 9 substances assessed. The assessment says these substances are unlikely to harm the environment or human health at current levels of exposure.
  • Pigments and Dyes Group — 6 substances assessed. The assessment says these substances are unlikely to harm the environment or human health at current levels of exposure.
  • Nitro Musks Group — 2 substances assessed (musk ketone and musk xylene). The assessment says current environmental and human exposure levels are not of concern.
• Announces that the ministers propose to take no further action under the Act for these assessed substances at this time.
• Notes one fatty-acid UVCB substance (a margosa oil) was set aside for further assessment and will be handled separately.
• Says follow-up monitoring or information gathering may be considered for the nitro musks to track changes in exposure or use patterns.

Who's affected#

• Companies that make or import these chemicals or products that contain them (for example in lubricants, paints and coatings, adhesives, inks, textiles, food packaging, cosmetics, natural health products and some consumer cleaning/air‑freshening products).
• Manufacturers of children’s arts-and-crafts materials and textile makers, where some dyes/pigments are used.
• Consumers who use products that may contain these substances (exposure can occur through skin contact, oral contact for children’s products, or household product use).
• Wastewater and biosolids managers, because some substances can enter the environment through wastewater.

If it’s unclear who is affected for a specific substance, the assessments list uses and import/manufacture quantities for 2008–2011 that clarify typical commercial uses.

Why it matters#

• The assessments provide current government information that these specific chemicals are low priority for regulatory action under the law at current exposure levels. That means no new restrictions were announced for these substances now.
• Businesses that use or sell products containing these substances are less likely to face immediate new federal controls, but the government may still monitor certain substances (notably the nitro musks) for changes in use or exposure that could trigger future action.
• Consumers get reassurance that Canada’s health and environment departments have evaluated these substances and found low risk at present, while also identifying where further tracking or assessment may follow.