Complex Microbial Culture Removed from Inventory

Summary#

Order 2022-105-01-01 Amending the Domestic Substances List removes one living organism entry from the federal inventory of substances. The order was registered on November 7, 2022 and published in the Canada Gazette on November 23, 2022.

What it does#

• Deletes from Part 7 of the Domestic Substances List the entry identified as 13637-2, named Complex microbial culture. The entry described the organism as coming from coastal marine waters of the Gulf of Mexico and used for bioremediation of oil field systems, waste streams, grease traps and hazardous waste sites in Canada.
• The order takes effect on the day it was registered — November 7, 2022.
• The change was made because the Minister determined that the organism did not meet the legal criteria for having been added to the List in the first place.

Who's affected#

• Businesses or researchers that might import, manufacture or use Complex microbial culture for bioremediation would be the most directly affected.
• The government published a public notice starting January 8, 2022 and received no information about the organism during the comment period. The Department says the organism is not expected to be currently imported or manufactured in Canada, so there may be no immediate real-world impacts.

Why it matters#

• Being on the Domestic Substances List means a substance is treated as already present in Canada. Removing this organism means it is no longer on that list.
• Substances not on the list are considered new to Canada and are subject to notification and assessment under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 if someone wants to import or manufacture them. That means anyone who later plans to bring this organism into Canada would likely need to provide information and go through federal review.