Final assessment: 22 acids and bases

Summary#

On April 27, 2024, the ministers responsible published the final assessment of an “Acids and Bases Group” of 22 substances under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. The assessment concludes the substances do not meet the Act’s test for regulatory action at this time, and the ministers propose to take no further action.

What it does#

• Publishes the final health and environmental assessment for a group of 22 common acids, bases, nitrates/nitrites, phosphates and related substances (the “Acids and Bases Group”).
• Concludes 16 of those substances do not meet any of the criteria in section 64 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (so no further action is proposed for them).
• Finds the other 6 substances do not meet the human-health criterion in paragraph 64(c); these six had earlier been considered for ecological risks under previous programs and were reassessed here only for human-health concerns.
• Notes where exposure and hazard information came from (published studies, previous Canadian and international assessments, and Canadian industrial data) and explains that some ecological risks would come from pH changes in wastewater but that measured pH levels are within Canadian freshwater guidelines.

Who's affected#

• Businesses that make, import, sell or use these substances or products that contain them, including manufacturers in paints and coatings, cleaners and disinfectants, water treatment, fertilizer and some food- or packaging-related industries.
• Municipal wastewater managers, because the report examines effluent pH and releases to water.
• Consumers and workers who use products containing these chemicals may be affected indirectly through continued product availability or any future risk-management decisions.
• Environment and Climate Change Canada and Health Canada are the departments behind the assessment and any follow-up actions.

Why it matters#

• This decision means the federal assessment found low likelihood of harm to the environment or to human health from these substances at current levels of exposure, so no new federal restrictions are being proposed now.
• For industry and consumers, it signals that current uses are not being targeted for immediate federal regulation under CEPA based on the available evidence.
• It does not rule out future action. The assessment relied on available data and previous reviews; if new evidence appears, the government could reconsider. The full assessment is available on the federal chemicals webpage for anyone who wants the technical details.