Canada | The draft Framework for the Risk Assessment of Manufactured Nanomaterials under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 was published

Nanotechnology is a rapidly emerging field with the potential for use in a wide variety of applications across a broad range of sectors. Nanomaterials are substances that are manufactured at or within the nanoscale (1 to 100 nanometres inclusive), or have internal or surface structures in the nanoscale. As international consensus on a definition for the products of nanotechnology has not yet been reached, a working definition described in the Policy Statement on Health Canada's Working Definition for Nanomaterial, is used when addressing manufactured nanomaterials under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999).

Nanomaterials may behave differently from conventional chemical substances with regard to their potential risk to human health and the environment. As such, there is a need to assess nanomaterials differently from conventional chemicals.

• Regulation of nanomaterials in Canada
• Framework for the risk assessment of manufactured nanomaterials in Canada
• Health Canada data gap analysis
• Risk assessment summaries of new nanomaterials
• Existing nanomaterials screening assessments
• Information gathering
  • Mandatory survey - section 71 notice
• Approach to address nanomaterials on the Domestic Substances List
• International and domestic activities and cooperation
  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Working Party on Manufactured Nanomaterials
  • International Organization for Standardization Technical Committee 229 – Nanotechnologies
  • Regulatory Cooperation Council Nanotechnology Initiative
• Related publications
  • Guidance documents
  • Orders