Certain (Consumer) Products
Environment Canada has published the proposed
Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Concentration Limits for Certain Products
Regulations in the Canada Gazette, Part I, on April 26,
2008. You can find the regulatory text of these proposed
Regulations at http://www.ec.gc.ca/CEPARegistry/regulations/detailReg.cfm?intReg=119.
Stakeholders were invited to forward their comments on the proposed
Regulations during a public consultation period which ended June 25, 2008.
All received comments will be reviewed and considered by Environment Canada
during the finalization of the Regulations. The final Regulations will be published
thereafter in the Canada Gazette, Part II. Also, you can find the Comments
and Response to Comments Received during the September 2006 Consultations
in the Consultations section.
The consumer products sector consists of an array of personal care, household and maintenance products. Examples of consumer products include hair mousse, hair spray, deodorant, automotive aftermarket products, air fresheners, household cleaners and detergents.
VOC emissions from this sector result from the use of products containing
VOCs. Solvents are often added to products to assist in application, and then
evaporate to the atmosphere following application. Due to the nature of the
many uses of consumer products, the best option to reduce VOC emissions from
this sector is to reformulate products to have a lower VOC concentration.
Discussion Document
In 2006, the Government of Canada published the outline of regulatory elements to be considered in the upcoming development of Environment Canada's Proposed
Regulations to Limit Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Content in Consumer Products
(Personal Care, Household, Automotive Aftermarket and Adhesive Products).
The Discussion Paper for the Development of Regulations is available in two formats:
Stakeholders were invited to provide written comments on the discussion paper.
The comment period ended October 31, 2006.
Background Studies
In 2005, Environment Canada commissioned two studies to investigate the VOC
levels in consumer products marketed in Canada. The Executive Summaries of these
surveys are available from the links below.
"Technical and Socio-Economic Study for the Automotive Aftermarket Product
Industry" - Cheminfo Services Limited
"Collection of Economic and Technical Information on Personal Care and Household
Products" -- ToxEcology Environmental Consulting Limited
If you would like to receive a complete copy of these reports, please contact
the Risk Manager noted at the end of this page.
Guidelines for Volatile Organic Compounds in Consumer Products
The Guidelines for Volatile Organic Compounds in Consumer Products were
published in November 2002 to fulfill recommendations included in the Federal
Smog Management Plan - Phase II (Initiative V103), November 1997. These guidelines
recommend VOC content limits for 23 consumer product categories and establish
the same VOC content limits as existing US standards. The consumer guidelines
were developed through consultation with stakeholders including industry, industry
associations, environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs), and provinces.
The Guidelines for
Volatile Organic Compounds in Consumer Products can be found on
the CEPA Environmental Registry.
2002 Survey of VOC content in consumer products
A survey was included in Annex 3 of the guidelines mentioned above. This voluntary
reporting requirement was included in order to collect company specific information
related to the VOC content of products for consumer products manufactured or
imported for use in Canada. This information will be used to determine how
products sold in Canada measure up with VOC content limits set out in the guidelines
as well as to determine what is needed in the development of future control
measures.
Responses to Comments Received during the September 2006 Consultations
September 27, 2006 Consultation Meeting – Proposed Elements for
Regulations
to Limit VOCs in Consumer Products
On September 27, 2006 Environment Canada held a public stakeholder meeting
in Toronto, Ontario, to introduce and receive feedback on the discussion document "Environment
Canada's Proposed Regulations to Limit Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Content
in Consumer Products (Personal Care, Household, Automotive Aftermarket and
Adhesive Products) - Discussion Paper for the Development of Regulations".
The document below contains a record of the proceedings from this meeting:
" Record of Proceedings - Environment Canada Stakeholder Consultation Meeting
on Proposed Regulations to Limit Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Content in
Consumer Products (Personal Care, Household, Automotive Aftermarket and Adhesive
Products)"
If you would like to receive copies of the material presented at the September
27, 2006 consultation, please contact the risk manager indicated below.
If you are interested in finding out more about the VOC program and initiatives or in receiving correspondence on the proposed regulations throughout the consultation process, please contact:
Rosanna Esposito
Products Division, Environment Canada
Place Vincent Massey
351 St. Joseph Blvd., 18th Floor
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0H3
Tel.: 819-997-2294
E-mail: vocinfo@ec.gc.ca
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