Green Ontario: Toxic and Hazardous Substances

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Toxic and Hazardous Substances:
Overview
first version: August, 2000

A Chemical Canada

There are some 23,000 chemical substances in use in the Canadian economy and registered with Environment Canada's Domestic Substances List (DSL).
Of these, the industrial releases of 246 substances are monitored under the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI).
117 substances are targeted for voluntary phase-out under the Accelerated Reduction and Elimination of Toxics (ARET) program.
25 substances have been declared "toxic" under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA)
Under revisions to CEPA in 1999, Environment Canada is required to categorize all 23,000 substances for their potential for exposure to Canadians, or for their inherent toxicity and persistence or bioaccumulation (CEPA, Section 73). This work is to be completed within seven years (2006).
41 substances have been identified under the Canada-Ontario Agreement respecting the Great Lakes Basin for virtual elimination.

Sound confusing? It is. There is little clarity in what chemicals are dangerous, to whom, and at what level of exposure. With this factsheet, we attempt to identify the major programs and strategies that address toxic and hazardous substances in Ontario and Canada, and organize them according to their ability to identify and eliminate the major sources of pollution.

INDEX

Quick Facts

How many chemicals are in use in Canada?
How many are considered toxic or hazardous?
Which are the worst offenders?
How do I find out about a toxic substance?

Current Strategies

Key Programs (provincial, national, and international)
What is the current strategy for toxics?

Related Factsheets

Ontario's Toxic Strategy
The Canada Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes Basin (COA) and other initiatives

What is P2 (under development)
A look at how the philosophy of "pollution prevention" can be applied in Ontario

Pesticides (under development)
Actions to eliminate, reduce and/or manage the use of pesticides in Ontario.

Solid Waste
Ontario's strategy for waste reduction and disposal. Includes information on household hazards.

Key Players

Who's working on toxics.
Other sources of information.

What is a "toxic" or "hazardous" chemical?
In general, hazardous substances are ones that pose a significant threat to the environment, natural species, and human health.

A more formal definition is found in the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA Section 64) which defines a substance as being "toxic" if it is entering, or may enter the environment in a quantity or concentration or under conditions that:

have or may have an immediate or long-term harmful effect on the environment or its biological diversity;
constitute or may constitute a danger to the environment on which life depends; or
constitute or may constitute a danger in Canada to human life or health.

Two other terms of importance in determining the degree of hazard associated with a substance are:

persistence: the length of time it takes a chemical to break down; and

bioaccumulation: the ability of a substance to collect in the tissues of living organisms and to be passed up the food change.

If a substance can be shown to be toxic, persistent, and it is bioaccumulative, then it is considered as a candidate for virtual elimination under CEPA. Currently, only 46 substances have been labeled "toxic" under CEPA, but this number will likely increase as more substances are analyzed.

Which Substances are the Worst Offenders?
The National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI), the national toxics monitoring program, requires industry to report on the release of 246 chemicals (as of 1999). NPRI is based on many lists of substances of concern, including: substances identified as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), substances on the first and second priority substances lists (PSL1 and PSL2), the Accelerated Reduction / Elimination of Toxics (ARET) list, the Canada Ontario Agreement list and substances on the U.S. Toxics Release Inventory.

The NPRI website doesn't have a complete list of substances, but you can search for information on a specific substance.

One of the first and still most extensive list of substances has been developed through the Accelerated Reduction / Elimination of Toxics (ARET) program. 117 substances have been organized into five lists according to the toxicity, bioaccumulation, and persistence of the substances.

The most attention now is being devoted to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) and its list of priority substances (available on the CEPA Environmental Registry). The updated list to March 2000 has 46 priority substances and families of chemicals.

Internationally, the United Nations is leading efforts to eliminate the use of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). Substances identified under this program are: Prohibited Pesticides Aldrin, chlordane, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, mirex, toxaphene, DDT, HCB (as an active ingredient), Hexachlorobenzene (HCB), Dioxins/Furans.

Finally, in Ontario the Canada Ontario Agreement (COA) has identified two levels of pollutants for elimination and reduction:

Tier I
Aldrin/dieldrin, Benzo(a)pyrene, Chlordane, DDT, Hexachlorobenzene, Alkyl-lead,
Mercury, Mirex, Octachlorostyrene, PCBs, PCDD (dioxins), PCDF (furans), Toxaphene

Tier II
Anthracene, Cadmium, 1,4-dichlorobenzene, 3,3'-dichlorobenzidine, Dinitropyrene, Hexachlorocyclohexane, 4,4'-methylenebis(2-chloraniline), Pentachlorophenol, Tributyl tin, plus 17 PAH's as a group, including but not limited to: Benz(a)anthracene, Benzo(b)fluoranthene, Benzo(g,h,i)perylene, Perylene, and Phenanthrene

How can I find out about a substance?
Here are two ways to get more information on a specific substance.

1) Scorecard
Scorecard is an information service provided by the Environmental Defense Fund in the United States. It provides maps and information on releases to the environment across the U.S. It also has a database of information on over 6,800 chemicals.

A Canadian version of Scorecard is currently being developed by the Canadian Institute of Environmental Law and Policy (CIELAP).

2) Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)
MSDS provide both workers and emergency personnel with information and procedures for handling or working with a substance. MSDS will include information such as physical data (melting point, boiling point, flash point etc.), toxicity, health effects, first aid, reactivity, storage, disposal, protective equipment, and spill/leak procedures.

For a list of sites where MSDS can be found, check Where to Find MSDS on the International Learning Paradigms Incorporated (ILPI) site. A good site is MSDS Online, where you need to register (but it's free) and they have over 300,000 entries in their database.

For a Canadian source, check the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety( CCOHS). They have a number of resources available on a fee basis.

The Current Strategy

Key Programs for Managing
Toxic and Hazardous Substances

Ontario Strategies and Programs

Canada Ontario Agreement respecting the Great Lakes Basin (COA)

COA is a joint agreement between the Province and the federal government. The Agreement designated 41 priority substances for action:

COA TIER 1 - 14 substances
COA TIER 2 - another 27 substances

COA expired on March 31, 2000 and has yet to be renewed.

link to the GreenOntario factsheet on COA

Environmental Protection Act (EPA)

The EPA is the main piece of legislation that empowers Ontario's efforts to control hazardous pollution. Section 6. 6.(1) says that " No person shall discharge into the natural environment any contaminant, and no person responsible for a source of contaminant shall permit the discharge into the natural environment of any contaminant from the source of contaminant, in an amount, concentration or level in excess of that prescribed by the regulations".

The Act controls pollution and spills by allowing for:

prosecution for discharges of contaminants to the environment
Certificates of Approval that set terms and conditions for polluting activities
Program Approvals to guide efforts to reduce and control the discharge of contaminants
Control Orders, Stop Orders, Remedial Orders, Preventive Orders, and Spill Clean Up Orders to stop or reduce existing sources of pollution.
Regulations to set standards for waste management and discharges (Eg. Regulation 308 on Air Pollution and Regulation 309 on Waste Management).

National Strategies and Programs

Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA)

The Canadian Environmental Protection Act is the major driving force behind the federal government's efforts to identify and eliminate the production and use of a priority list of substances, as well as to instill a pollution prevention ethic in all industry sectors.

CEPA's focus is pollution prevention and the protection of the environment and human health in order to contribute to sustainable development.

Under CEPA, a variety of measures are considered for the management of toxic substances, including:

regulations
guidelines
voluntary codes of practice to control any aspect of the life cycle of the substance, from the research and development stage through manufacture, use, storage, transport, and ultimate disposal.

When a substance is determined to be "toxic" and is persistent, bioaccumulative and results primarily from human activity, then the substance is proposed for virtual elimination. The 1999 CEPA requires the Department of the Environment to maintain a Virtual Elimination List. This list is not currently available on the CEPA website, but is expected to be released shortly.

Accelerated Reduction and Elimination of Toxics (ARET)

117 substances have been targeted under this voluntary reduction and elimination program. ARET is designed to get fast action on reducing harmful emissions prior to regulation. The program also helps companies achieve cost savings by reducing the need for purchasing, handling and disposing of hazardous chemicals.

Canada-Wide Standards (CWS)

Canada Wide Standards is a program of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) to develop common standards for priority contaminants. Current standards being developed include benzene, mercury and PM10 and Ozone (key factors in the creation of smog).

Toxic Substances Management Policy

a policy for the virtual elimination of Track 1 substances, and the management of Track 2 substances. Fourteen substances are designated under the TSMP Track 1 list

Pollution Prevention: a federal strategy for action

the federal government strategy (1995). The strategy provides an overview of how the government intends to shift from "pollution control" to "pollution prevention".

Link to the GreenOntario factsheet on P2

A Strategy to Fulfill the CCME Commitment to Pollution Prevention

a strategy approved by the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (May 1996).

Link to the GreenOntario factsheet on P2

Bi-National Strategies and Programs

US-Canada Binational Toxics Strategy

The Binational Toxics Strategy was signed by the US and Canada in 1997 in support of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.

See also the summaries and comments on the Binational Toxics Strategy on the Great Lakes United site.

Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

First signed in 1972 and renewed in 1978, the Agreement expresses the commitment of Canada and the United States to restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem. It also includes a number of objectives and guidelines to achieve these goals.

International Strategies and Programs

Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal

The Basel Convention is billed as "the broadest and most significant international treaty on hazardous waste currently in effect". It was adopted in 1989 and entered into force in May, 1992. The Convention is the response of the international community to the problems caused by the annual world-wide production of hundreds of millions of tonnes of wastes. These wastes are hazardous to people or the environment because they are toxic, poisonous, explosive, corrosive, flammable, eco-toxic, or infectious.

This global environmental treaty strictly regulates the transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and provides obligations to its Parties to ensure that such wastes are managed and disposed of in an environmentally sound manner. The main principles of the Basel Convention are:

Transboundary movements of hazardous wastes should be reduced to a minimum consistent with their environmentally sound management.
Hazardous wastes should be treated and disposed of as close as possible to their source of generation.
Hazardous waste generation should be reduced and minimized at source.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

In February 1997 the United Nations Environment Programm (UNEP) Governing Council agreed on Decision 19/13C concerning international action to protect human health and the environment through measures which will reduce and/or eliminate emissions and discharges of persistent organic pollutants, including the development of an international legally binding instrument.

POPs are substances that persist in the environment, bioaccumulate through the food web, and pose a risk of causing adverse effects to human health and the environment. The organic chemicals covered under the program are: PCBs, dioxins and furans, aldrin, dieldrin, DDT, endrin, chlordane, hexaclorobenzene, mirex, toxaphene, and heptachlor.

Emissions Reporting
for Toxic and Hazardous Substances

National

National Pollutant Release Inventory

The National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) is published annually by Environment Canada. The NPRI lists the major industrial and municipal polluters across Canada.

The National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) provides information on the on-site releases to air, water and land, on transfers off site in wastes and on the recovery, reuse and recycling ('3Rs') of 176 listed substances. The NPRI is the only legislated, nation wide, publicly accessible inventory of pollutant releases and transfers in Canada, providing information on a facility-by-facility basis. Anyone in Canada who manufactures, processes or otherwise uses any of the NPRI-listed substances in quantities of 10 tonnes or more per year, and who employs 10 or more people per year, must report releases or transfers in wastes of the listed substances.

International

Taking Stock, published by the Commission on Environmental Cooperation

Taking Stock is published annually by the Commission on Environmental Cooperation (CEC), a tri-national commission set up under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Taking Stock compares emissions data from Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

Ontario ranked third among all provinces and states for total releases and transfers.

What Else Could Be Done?

So many chemicals, so many programs. Some programs promote the pollution prevention approach, others identify priority substances and set pollution limits. They reflect a patchwork approach that has been developed in response to the growing concern over a wide range of pollutants. Its time we pulled the pieces together into a united campaign with clear goals.

Develop a national pollution strategy.

In spite of the large number of national programs, Canada does not have a coordinated strategy that establishes clear categories of contaminants and ties the various acts and programs together to meet targets for ecosystem health and the elimination of priority substances.

Many of the pieces are already in place, it just needs some clarity, and a clear commitment by government and industry to achieve meaningful results. Here's what a national strategy should cover:

pollution prevention -- promote less polluting alternatives across all sectors of the ecoonmy and society

virtual elimination -- establish clear timetables for the elimination of priority substances

ecosystem standards -- establish clear national standards for all major contaminants that will ensure contiued environmental and human health

stewardship -- cradle to grave management of major contaminants

rehabilitation -- restore contaminated areas that have been contaminated through human activity (such as mining and industrial development)

reporting -- produce annual emissions and "state of the environment" reports

constant improvement -- review and strengthen the targets and programs on a regular basis.

Develop an Ontario pollution strategy.

Ontario has little to offer in the way of pollution prevention and hazardous waste management. The Environmental Protection Act regulates polluting industries and sets emission limits for priority contaminants, and the ministry partners with the federal government through the COA agreement.

For more details, see the factsheet on Ontario's Pollution Strategy

Individual Action

Each of us contributes to the pollution of our environment through the products we buy, cars we drive, and even the food we eat. It's a big step to "change your life", but each of us can contribute to a cleaner environment by reducing our own polluting activities. You'll feel healthier, and at the same time, you'll be telling companies that there is a market for pollution-free goods and services.

We're writing several factsheets on household hazards, organic agriculture, green energy, and transportation that will give you more tips and links to support groups. Stay tuned!

De-tox
youself!

In the Home	clean without harsh chemicals eat natural and organic foods buy green energy
In the Yard	go pesticide free
Getting Around	use green transportation

Key Players

Provincial Government	Ministry of Environment The ministry's Waste Section gives a few links to initiatives such as the ministry's six-point action plan on hazardous waste which addresses hazardous waste regulation and the requirements for hazardous-waste facilities in the province. To find information on pollution prevention, use the Site Search function.
Federal Government	Environment Canada has several sites related to toxic substances. The Pollution and Toxics site on the Green Lane contains a long list of factsheets, discussion papers and policies on pollution and toxic substances. Its a good starting point for finding the latest information and publications from Environment Canada. The Commercial Chemicals website has information on priority substances, new substances, and federal policies (including the toxic substances management policy). The Canadian Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse (CPPIC) is an internet-based information tool. Its purpose is to link Canadians to pollution prevention information in order to help them practice it and develop pollution prevention plans. It is managed by the National Office of Pollution Prevention, Environment Canada. The National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) provides information on the on-site releases to air, water and land, on transfers off site in wastes and on the recovery, reuse and recycling ('3Rs') of 176 listed substances. The NPRI is the only legislated, nation wide, publicly accessible inventory of pollutant releases and transfers in Canada, providing information on a facility-by-facility basis. Anyone in Canada who manufactures, processes or otherwise uses any of the NPRI-listed substances in quantities of 10 tonnes or more per year, and who employs 10 or more people per year, must report releases or transfers in wastes of the listed substances.
Environmental Organizations	There are many environmental groups in Ontario that are active in pollution issues, including: the Canadian Environmental Law Association the Canadian Institute of Environmental Law and Policy Friends of the Earth Great Lakes United Greenpeace Pollution Probe Sierra Club the Toronto Environment Alliance See also the Ontario Environment Network for more groups and to contact the Waste Caucus.
Business Associations	Canadian Chemical Producers Association
Labour	Canadian Labour Congress: The CLC has produced a manual on pollution prevention in the workplace. Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL): Through its Occupational Health and Safety program, the OFL takes an active interest in long-term health problems resulting from worker exposure to toxins. Ontario Workers Health and Safety Centre (OWHSC: The Workers Health & Safety Centre provides training in occupational health and safety issues, including workplace exposure to hazardous chemicals.
Agricultural Associations	Agricultural Groups Concerned about Resources and the Environment (AGCare): AGCare manages the Environmental Farm Plan program, which includes measures for pesticide reduction. Canadian Organic Growers (COG): COG is a nation-wide organization of farmers, gardeners and consumers interested in educating, networking, producing and promoting organic food.
Other Organizations	The Canadian Centre for Pollution Prevention is a searchable site with links and information on pollution prevention. The Centre's goal is to facilitate the transfer of pollution prevention information. Annual membership in the Centre is $350 for an organization, $125 for an individual or non-profit organization and $40 for a student. The Canadian Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse (CPPIC) is an Internet-based information tool. Its purpose is to link Canadians to pollution prevention information in order to help them practice it and develop pollution prevention plans. The Ontario Centre for Environmental Technology OCETA: OCETA is a private sector, not-for-profit corporation that helps small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) commercialize new technologies and develop environmental business opportunities. The Great Lakes Renewal Foundation: The foundation was established to provide funds for Ontario-based cleanup projects around the Great Lakes.


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