Chemical name: Benzene, hexachloro- Final regulatory action has been taken for the category: Pesticide, Industrial Final regulatory action: The chemical is Banned Use or uses prohibited by the final regulatory action: All uses and formulations are prohibited The Prohibition of Certain Toxic Substances Regulations, 2003 prohibit the manufacture, use, processing, sale, offer for sale and importation of certain toxic substances, except for use for scientific research purposes and for use as a laboratory analytical standard Use or uses that remain allowed: The Prohibition of Certain Toxic Substances Regulations, 2003, do not apply in respect of the use of HCB: in a laboratory for scientific research; or as a laboratory analytical standard. The Regulations also do not apply in respect of HCB that is: an incidental by-product of the manufacturing process of a product that is present in the product in a concentration not exceeding 20 parts per billion; or contained in a control product with the meaning of section 2 of the Pest Control Products Act Pesticide use or uses that remain allowed: No formulations or uses remain The final regulatory action was based on a risk or hazard evaluation: Yes Summary of the final regulatory action: The Prohibition of Certain Toxic Substances Regulations, 2003 (hereby referred to as Regulations) prohibit the manufacture, use, processing, sale, offer for sale and importation of certain toxic substances. The Regulations exempt some uses from this prohibition, which can vary from substance to substance (more detail is provided in section 2.5 of this notification). In addition, pesticides may not be imported, sold or used in Canada unless registered under the Canadian Pest Control Products Act. HCB is no longer registered under this Act The reasons for the final regulatory action were relevant to: Human health and environment Summary of known hazards and risks to human health: In several studies outlined in Environment Canada's Priority Substances List Assessment Report for HCB, HCB has been shown to cause cancer consistently in experimental animals, although available data are inadequate to determine whether HCB causes cancer in humans. It is considered to be a "non-threshold toxicant" (i.e., a substance for which there is believed to be some chance of adverse health effect at any level of exposure). For such substances, estimated exposure is compared to quantitative estimates of potency to cause cancer, in order to characterize risk and provide guidance in establishing priorities for further action (i.e., analysis of options to reduce exposure). For HCB, such a comparison suggests that the priority for analysis of options to reduce exposure would be moderate to high. Expected effect of the final regulatory action in relation to human health: Sources addressed by the Regulations will protect the health of Canadians and ecosystems by ensuring that future production, importation and the use of HCB is prohibited with very limited exemptions. Note that sources of HCB emissions addressed by the Regulations are relatively small compared to the principal sources, identified as being the application of chlorinated pesticides containing HCB as a micro contaminant, and the incineration of wastes. Sources not addressed are subject to various non-regulatory initiatives contributing to the reduction of HCB releases. Summary of known hazards and risks to the environment: According to Environment Canada's Priority Substances List Assessment Report for HCB, the highest concentrations of HCB have been observed near point sources in the Great Lakes and connecting channels. Current levels in air, water and forage fish from this area have the potential to cause harmful effects to fish-eating mammals, such as mink. The available data on current levels further indicate that HCB has the potential to cause reproductive impairment to predatory bird species across Canada, including the endangered peregrine falcon Expected effect of the final regulatory action in relation to the environment: Sources addressed by the Regulations will protect the health of Canadians and ecosystems by ensuring that future production, importation and the use of HCB is prohibited with very limited exemptions. Note that sources of HCB emissions addressed by the Regulations are relatively small compared to the principal sources, identified as being the application of chlorinated pesticides containing HCB as a micro contaminant, and the incineration of wastes. Sources not addressed are subject to various non-regulatory initiatives contributing to the reduction of HCB releases Date of entry into force of the final regulatory action: 20/03/2003 Industrial - March 20, 2003 Pesticide - December 31, 1976 |