6 July, 2022
The Canadian environment and climate change and health agencies have released a Framework for the risk assessment of manufactured nanomaterials under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. The document provides guidance on the adaptation of risk assessment processes to nanomaterials, in line with the 2013 OECD recommendation to its Member Countries.
The framework is divided in three sections, covering respectively:
- The context, scope and purpose of the document, with a summary of the policies supporting nanomaterials risk assessment under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA);
- An overview of substance risk assessment under CEPA (not specific to nanomaterials, but providing context on practices and processes generally used under the Act to assess substances);
- The modifications to the general practices covered in Section 2 to address the specificities of nanomaterials. These include specific physical and chemical properties for identification and characterization, behaviour, and potential effects on human health and the environment. The section also explains how uncertainties are weighted into risk characterization.
