Laundry Detergent - Phosphorus Concentration Regulations

Act: Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, c. 33
Regulation: Phosphorus Concentration Regulations, SOR/89-501, as amended

To Whom Does This Apply?

Manufacturers of laundry detergents.

Eligible Activities

Manufacturing of laundry detergents.

Summary

The Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) is an Act respecting the protection of the environment, human life and health. Its twelve parts include powers and provisions to:

• undertake environmental research and data;
• develop objectives, guidelines and codes of practice for industry and business;
• regulate toxic substances, new substances, wastes and fuels;
• regulate nutrients;
• regulate animate products of biotechnology;
• regulate the environmental effects of federal operations;
• regulate international air pollution and ocean dumping; and
• enforce regulations including agreements with provinces and territories.

Environment Canada administers the Act on behalf of the federal government, but develops regulations and guidelines jointly with Health Canada.

The Phosphorus Concentration Regulations set out the allowable levels of concentrations of phosphorus, by percentage, in any laundry detergent, and prescribes the approved methods of determining those concentrations.

The Regulations limit the concentration of phosphorus in laundry detergents to 5% by weight expressed as phosphorus pentoxide or 2.2% by weight expressed as elemental phosphorus.

Proposed Regulations Amending the Phosphorus Concentration Regulations, published in the Canada Gazette, Part I, on June 28, 2008, would broaden the scope of the Regulations to include other detergents and cleaners, and would lower the limits on permissible phosphorus concentrations.

DISCLAIMER
Information contained in this section is of a general nature only and is not intended to constitute advice for any specific fact situation. For particular questions, the users are invited to contact their lawyer. For additional information, see contact(s) listed below.

Manitoba Contact(s):
See National Contact.

 

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National Contact(s):

Environmental Protection Publications Centre
Environment Canada
Telephone: 613-953-5921 or 613-953-5750
Fax: 819-953-7253
Web site: http://www.ec.gc.ca/envhome.html
 

 

Ozone Protection Programs
Chemical Sectors Directorate
Environment Canada
18th Floor
Place Vincent Massey
351 Saint-Joseph Boulevard
Gatineau, Quebec  K1A 0H3
Telephone: 819-997-1640
Fax: 819-994-0007
E-mail: ozoneprotectionprograms@ec.gc.ca
Web site: http://www.ec.gc.ca/envhome.html