Canada regulates siloxanes

The Canadian environment ministry has declared D4 and D5 siloxanes "substances of concern" and will set a concentration threshold for the ingredients, which are found in many personal-care products, Environment Canada announces Jan. 30. The limit will be developed for consumer products and for wastewater under Canada's Chemical Management Plan. The Canadian government says that while siloxanes are not a risk to human health when used in personal-care products, they are entering the environment in "relatively large quantities" and may harm fish and aquatic organisms. Environmental Working Group notes that this move is the first action against siloxanes taken by any country and urges U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to conduct an assessment of the chemicals, asserting that their persistence in the environment may cause them to enter the food chain and could pose "significant, long-term risks to human health as well." Canada requires nanotech data: Health Canada is poised to implement rules that would require companies to detail their use of engineered nanomaterials, according to the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies of the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars. Canada will be the first country in the world to take such action, PEN says. Companies that manufactured or imported more than one kilogram of nanomaterials during 2008 will be subject to the one-time request; information submitted will be used by Canadian regulatory authorities to determine the risks of nanomaterials and to guide the development of appropriate environmental, health and safety requirements. "This decision by Canada-to establish the world's first national mandatory nanoscale materials reporting requirement for companies-is an important step toward ensuring that nanotechnology regulation is driven by accurate information and high-quality science," says Andrew Maynard, PEN chief science advisor