656 Substances Added to Domestic Substances List

Summary#

Order 2026-66.1-01-01 Amending the Domestic Substances List adds 656 chemicals and polymers (identified by CAS numbers) to the Domestic Substances List. The order was registered on July 30, 2026 and is now in force. As a result, those substances are no longer treated as “new” under Canada’s chemicals notification rules.

What it does#

• Adds 656 substances (listed by Chemical Abstracts Service registry numbers) to Part 1 of the Domestic Substances List.
• Removes those substances from the Revised In Commerce List (R-ICL).
• Means the added substances are no longer subject to pre‑market notification under subsection 81(1) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 and the New Substances Notification Regulations (Chemicals and Polymers).
• The Government says the decision was based on a review and is administrative in nature. No public comment period was held because this is a listing update.

Who's affected#

• Chemical manufacturers, importers, distributors and other businesses that make, bring into Canada, or use these specific substances. They no longer need to file the same new‑substance notifications for these CAS‑identified entries.
• Environment and Climate Change Canada and regulators, who will update inventories and keep reviewing remaining R‑ICL entries.
• The general public and product users might see these substances in commercially available products, but this order itself does not change product approvals or other laws.
• It is unclear to a non‑expert which everyday products (if any) contain these specific CAS‑listed substances without checking the full list.

Why it matters#

• For businesses, this removes a pre‑market notification step for these 656 substances. That can speed up import, sale or use of them in Canada.
• For consumers and communities, the change does not mean the government endorses safety. The order is administrative. Substances can still be assessed later and controls put in place if risks are identified.
• It concentrates regulatory attention on substances still under review on the R‑ICL. The government says these added substances were reviewed and considered low concern in terms of potential risk to human health and the environment.