According to Environment Canada spokeswoman Sujata Raisinghani, the information gathered from this one time request will form the basis of a regulatory framework.

Raisinghani says the notice which falls under Section 71 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act will become effective immediately upon publication and will "gather information that will be used to conduct a risk assessment of nanomaterials currently on the Canadian market, and to identify any actions needed to ensure the safety of those substances."

The notice's information requirements will be mandatory for companies that manufactured or imported more than 1 kilogram nanomaterials during 2008. Affected companies will have four months to provide the required information, although they can request extensions.

Also companies and institutions will be requested to voluntarily identify themselves as stakeholders, to submit any information described in the notice even if they are not covered by the notice, and to identify any interest in cooperating in the testing of specific nanomaterials.

Raisinghani says, The decision to require reporting of nanomaterials import and use follows a September 2007 workshop conducted by Environment Canada and Health Canada on a proposed regulatory framework for nanomaterials that would address the substances "unique scientific and regulatory needs."

Andrea Peart, National Representative, Health, Safety & Environment, for the Canadian Labour Congress, says the CLC and other labour organizations were not consulted about this process. Still, she says this is a good first step towards implementing necessary regulations to address nanomaterials."She would like to see the burden of proof placed on companies to ensure these materials are safe before they are unleashed unto workers, the general population and the environment. In other words, the precautionary principle should be strictly applied."

Nanomaterials are materials engineered by nanotechnology, a process that allows scientists to manipulate matter at the atomic level. This process creates new substances and forms of existing substances--many for commercial use. Nanomaterials can behave in unpredictable ways and the risk they pose to people and the environment is not yet fully known.

Raisinghani says the Canadian regulatory approach will be comparable to the Nanoscale Materials Stewardship Program put in place by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in early 2008; however theirs relied on companies reporting strictly on a voluntary basis.

As reported in the January 29 issue of the Workers Health & Safety Centre ENews, the U.S. voluntary program failed to gather key information needed to assess the safety of nanomaterials.

Want more information about a Canadian report from the Expert Panel on Nanotechnology?

Want more information about Section 71 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act?

Want more information about the EPA's report on its Nanomaterials Program?

Want more information about Canadian research on the health implications of Nanomaterials?

Want to view previous WHSC publications addressing nanomaterials?
- Voluntary reporting on Nanotechnology falls short, U.S. EPA finds (January 29, 2009)
- Precautionary principle needed for Nanomaterials (August 1, 2008)