PARENT SESSION

2L - Immunotoxicity - genotoxicity - ED
Poster Hall
8:30 AM - Wednesday, 30 April 2003
Chair: Hansen, P.D.¹, ¹

(WEP/102) Proposed Assessment Approach for Incorporating the Endocrine Disrupting Potential of Substances into the New Substances Program Under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).

Domey, Norma¹, Lawuyi, Richard¹, Atkinson, Andrew¹, ¹ New Substances Branch, Environment Canada, Hull, Quebec, Canada

ABSTRACT- The Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) requires that all new substances be assessed for "toxicity" as defined by the legislation. Proponents of new substances for the Canadian market are required, prior to commencement of manufacture or import, to provide information and test data such as ecotoxicity tests. However, currently there are no ecotoxicity tests in the New Substances Notification Regulations that address endocrine disrupting potential. Subsection 44(4) of CEPA imposes a legal obligation on the Ministers of the Environment and Health to conduct research or studies relating to hormone disrupting substances. Currently, Environment Canada is collecting information on such substances and exploring ways it can be incorporated into its regulatory programs. Also, the applicability of structure-activity relationships (SARs) or analogues to identify endocrine disrupting substances (EDS) is being investigated. Each of these areas will be discussed as well as Environment Canada's current approach to addressing endocrine disrupting potential of new substances and the development and validation of international screening tests for EDS.

Key words: Environment Canada approach to EDS, endocrine disrupting substances (EDS)