FEDERAL LEGISLATION 

The Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Health have developed a federal agenda to reduce emissions of volatile organic compounds from consumer and commercial products as annexed. They intend to develop and implement a series of measures between 2004 and 2010 to further protect the health of Canadians and the environment from problems associated with air pollution by reducing emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from consumer and commercial products.

BACKGROUND

Particulate matter and ground-level ozone are the main ingredients of smog and cause serious health effects for Canadians, including thousands of premature deaths, hospital admissions and emergency room visits every year. Recent studies have confirmed these negative impacts and shown that air pollution is also associated with an increased risk of lung cancer and heart disease. Up to two-thirds of fine particulate matter and almost all ground-level ozone are formed in the atmosphere from gaseous precursors. As a result, in order to address particulate matter and ozone, it is necessary to address the precursors as well.

VOCs are precursor pollutants contributing to the formation of ground-level ozone and particulate matter. Anthropogenic sources of VOCs include combustion and evaporation processes associated with transportation, the industrial sector, applications of paints and other surface coatings and general solvent use.

In recognition of the significant adverse human health effects of ozone and particulate matter, the Government of Canada and the provinces and territories, except Quebec, adopted new Canada-wide Standards for both of these air pollutants. These standards establish ambient target levels to be achieved by 2010: 65ppb in the case of ozone and 30 µg/m3 for particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. Achieving these targets will require significant reduction of emissions of PM, ozone, and their precursors, including VOCs. VOCs that participate in atmospheric photochemical reactions as precursors to particulate matter and ground-level ozone, were added to Schedule 1 (List of Toxic Substances) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) in July, 2003 to make available a full range of management instruments under the Act.

Emissions of VOCs from solvents used in many consumer and commercial products constitute a significant source of anthropogenic VOCs to the atmosphere. The scope of consumer and commercial products is very broad and includes not only household consumer products but many products used commercially and in industrial operations. This vast universe of products ranges from underarm anti-perspirants, paints used in homes, inks used in commercial printing, and degreasing agents. While individually small sources of VOCs, in total they contribute significantly to the overall atmospheric loadings of VOCs and the associated ozone and particulate matter problem.

The Government of Canada’s Interim Plan 2001 on Particulate Matter and Ozone includes a commitment to develop an action plan to reduce VOCs from products. The $120.2 million package for clean air initiatives announced in the budget of February 2001 included resources for development and implementation of this plan, with additional resources for work on VOC-containing products included as part of the $40 million provided in the budget of February 2003.

To achieve domestic goals for ozone and fine particulate matter in some areas of Canada, transboundary measures are required to curb air pollution originating in the United States (U.S.). In December 2000, Canada and the U.S. signed an agreement to reduce transboundary air pollution in the form of an Ozone Annex to the 1991 Canada - U.S. Air Quality Agreement. The Ozone Annex commits Canada to take measures to reduce VOC emissions and contains specific commitments to take action to reduce VOC emissions from consumer and commercial products.

In October 2002, Environment Canada initiated consultations on the Federal Agenda by meeting with key industry stakeholder groups to ensure they were aware of the government’s intention to develop an action plan for consumer and commercial products and to encourage their participation in the consultation process on proposed measures. To facilitate stakeholder participation, Environment Canada developed a discussion document entitled Future Canadian Measures for Reducing Emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from Consumer and Commercial Products to lay out the background on the various issues and to describe proposed actions that would serve as the basis for consultations.

In February 2003, Environment Canada distributed the discussion document to stakeholders, along with an invitation to a March 2003 consultation workshop. Over 55 representatives of industry, environmental and health groups, municipalities, and federal and provincial governments attended the workshop. All parties were invited to make presentations at the workshop and to provide written submissions outlining their views on the proposed actions. A workshop report was prepared by Environment Canada describing the major comments, points of view and proposals of participants and was distributed to all interested stakeholders. Environment Canada offered to meet on a bilateral basis following the workshop to further discuss their views and some industry stakeholders arranged meetings for this purpose.

Following a thorough review and full consideration of stakeholder comments, the Minister of the Environment and the Minister of Health have developed a Federal Agenda of planned measures and future initiatives to reduce emissions of VOCs from consumer and commercial products. In considering measures for the Agenda, particular attention has been paid to control actions in place in the U.S. to identify opportunities for utilizing similar approaches and strategies in Canada.

Measures under this Federal Agenda are part of the overall effort required to reach the CWS targets, and complement other initiatives, such as the measures outlined in the Federal Agenda on Cleaner Vehicles, Engines and Fuels and actions to be taken by provinces and territories. Federal Agenda measures to reduce VOC emissions from products will also deliver on the commitment under the Ozone Annex to the Canada-U.S. Air Quality Agreement to take action in this area. Consistent with CWS and Ozone Annex delivery dates, all measures specified in the Agenda will be implemented by 2010.

To read the full text please click on http://www.ec.gc.ca/nopp/DOCS/notices/voc/en/index.cfm