The Chemicals Management Plan (CMP) is a federal government initiative aimed at reducing the risks posed by chemicals to Canadians and their environment. In May 2016, the CMP began addressing the remaining 1550 priority chemicals out of the original 4300 chemicals identified as priorities during the categorization. The Minister of Health and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change have committed to addressing these chemicals by 2020. The CMP builds on previous initiatives by assessing chemicals used in Canada and by taking action on chemicals found to be harmful to human health and/or the environment. For more information, click here.

Chemicals at a glance: Chemicals Management Plan information sheets are a series of short fact sheets about chemical substances and micro-organisms that are being (or have been) assessed in Canada for their possible risks to human health and the environment.

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News

• As of July 1, 2018, the sale of toiletries that contain plastic microbeads will be prohibited, unless the toiletries are also natural health products or non-prescription drugs, in which case the prohibition will begin July 1, 2019.
• In June 2017, the Microbeads in Toiletries Regulations were published in the Canada Gazette, Part II: Vol. 151, No. 12 - June 14, 2017. These regulations will help protect the environment by reducing the quantity of plastic microbeads entering Canadian freshwater and marine ecosystems.
• On December 8, 2006, the former Prime Minister, along with the former Ministers of the Environment and Health, unveiled Canada's new Chemicals Management Plan. A key element in the Chemicals Management Plan was the collection of information on the properties and uses of approximately 200 chemical substances and an assessment on their impact on health and the environment. This initiative is known as the Challenge. These assessments of chemicals were subject to public review.

The proposed order adding Chlorhexidine and its salts to Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 was published for a 60-day public comment period ending on May 5, 2021.The Science Approach Document for the Bioactivity Exposure Ratio: Application in Priority Setting and Risk Assessment was released for a 60-day public comment period ending on May 5, 2021.The draft screening assessment and risk management scope for the Benzotriazoles and Benzothizoles Group was published for a 60-day public comment period ending on May 5, 2021.