Aluminium magnesium vanadium oxide added to DSL

Summary#

The government added one chemical, CAS number 170621-28-0 (aluminium magnesium vanadium oxide), to the Domestic Substances List through Order 2021-87-14-01 Amending the Domestic Substances List: SOR/2021-252. The order keeps special reporting requirements for certain new uses or large-scale manufacture so the government can assess risks before those activities go ahead. The order came into force on registration (December 17, 2021) and was published in the Canada Gazette on January 5, 2022.

What it does#

• Adds the substance with CAS 170621-28-0 to Part 2 of the Domestic Substances List.
• Keeps the Significant New Activity (SNAc) reporting rules that require advance notice to the government for certain new activities.
• Defines activities that must be notified:
  • Manufacturing the substance in a calendar year above 10 000 kg.
  • Using the substance in a calendar year above 1 000 kg if its particles meet nanoscale criteria:
    • 10% or more of particles, by number, are 1 to 100 nm; or
    • 1% or more of particles, by mass, are 1 to 100 nm.
• Exemptions to the notification requirement include:
  • Uses as a research and development substance or a site‑limited intermediate.
  • Uses intended only for export.
  • Uses already regulated under other federal Acts listed in Schedule 2 of CEPA (for example, pesticides, fertilizers, feeds).
• Requires any person proposing a notified activity to submit a Significant New Activity Notification at least 90 days before starting. The notification must include detailed information about the facility, process, particle characteristics, exposure, and a range of laboratory studies (several specified OECD tests and reports).

Who's affected#

• Manufacturers, importers and users of aluminium magnesium vanadium oxide who plan to:
  • Make more than 10 000 kg in a year; or
  • Use more than 1 000 kg in a year in forms that meet the nanoscale criteria.
• Businesses that work with metal oxide nanomaterials or that would need to generate the required testing data and reports.
• The order does not affect routine small‑scale uses, R&D uses, site‑limited intermediates, export‑only uses, or activities already covered by other federal laws listed in Schedule 2 of CEPA.

Why it matters#

• It keeps a government check on big or nanoscale uses of this substance so possible human‑health or environmental risks can be assessed before those activities happen.
• For companies, adding the substance to the Domestic Substances List removes some older notification rules for current uses, which can make routine access easier. But any proposed large-scale or nanoscale change will still trigger reporting and testing costs.
• For the public, the rule aims to reduce the chance that potentially risky new uses of this material proceed without adequate review.