Technical approach for rapid screening of substances of lower ecological concern

Issue

This paper describes the approach that Environment Canada has developed as the basis for rapid and efficient screening assessment of existing substances anticipated to be of low ecological concern. Recognizing that the approach is based on the use of conservative assumptions and readily available data, it is applied only to decide either that the substance requires further assessment (beyond the rapid screening approach), or that the substance is unlikely to meet the criterion set out in paragraph 64(a) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA), which states that a substance is considered "toxic" if it is entering or may enter the environment in a quantity or concentration or under conditions that have or may have an immediate or long-term harmful effect on the environment or its biological diversity.

The approach has been applied to a subset of substances that were identified through the categorization process. The first results of this application of the rapid screening approach are described in a separate document^Footnote 1.