Re-evaluation Decision RVD2011-09, Copper 8-quinolinolate

This content was archived on June 24, 2013.

Pest Management Regulatory Agency
12 October 2011
ISSN: 1925-1025 (PDF version)
Catalogue number: H113-28/2011-09E-PDF (PDF version)

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Table of Contents

• Re-evaluation Decision
• What Does Health Canada Consider When Making a Re-evaluation Decision?
• What Is Copper 8-quinolinolate?
• Health Considerations
• Other Information

Re-evaluation Decision

After a re-evaluation of the wood preservative copper 8-quinolinolate, Health Canada's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), under the authority of the  Pest Control Products Act and  Regulations, is granting continued registration of products containing copper 8-quinolinolate for sale and use in Canada.

The regulatory approach for the re-evaluation of copper 8-quinolinolate was first presented in Proposed Re-evaluation Decision PRVD2010-20, Copper 8-quinolinolate, a consultation document.¹ This Re-evaluation Decision² describes this stage of PMRA's regulatory process for the re-evaluation of copper 8-quinolinolate as well as summarizes the Agency's decision and the reasons for it. No comments were received during the consultation process, however, there was a change in the number of supported products.

In PRVD2010-20, remedial/joinery wood preservative uses of copper 8-quinolinolate were assessed. An evaluation of available scientific information found that products containing copper 8-quinolinolate did not present unacceptable risks to human health or the environment when used according to the revised label directions. Additional data were being requested. However, since the publication of PRVD2010-20, the only product registered for these uses was discontinued. Consequently, these uses are no longer considered part of this decision. On this basis the label amendments and data proposed in PRVD2010-20 are no longer required.

Antisapstain use of copper 8-quinolinolate in residential settings was also described in PRVD2010-20. An evaluation of the available scientific information found that the product containing copper 8-quinolinolate as an antisapstain, continues to be acceptable for registration and does not pose risks of concern to homeowners coming into contact with treated wood. No further mitigation measures are required.

Occupational and ecological exposure from the antisapstain uses of copper 8-quinolinolate are being assessed under a separate initiative, and results from these assessments will be communicated in separate documents. An interim decision with respect to occupational exposure of antisapstain products was published in 2004 (Re-evaluation Decision Document, RRD2004-08 Re-evaluation of Antisapstain Use for 2-(thiocyanomethylthio) Benzothiazole (TCMTB), Copper-8-quinolinoate, Borax and Disodium Octaborate Tetrahydrate - Occupational Risk Assessment).

What Does Health Canada Consider When Making a Re-evaluation Decision?

The PMRA's pesticide re-evaluation program considers potential risks, as well as value, of pesticide products to ensure they meet modern standards established to protect human health and the environment. Regulatory Directive DIR2001-03, PMRA Re-evaluation Program, presents the details of the re-evaluation activities and program structure.

Copper 8-quinolinolate, one of the active ingredients in the current re-evaluation cycle, has been re-evaluated under Re-evaluation Program 1.³ This program relies as much as possible on foreign reviews, typically United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) documents. For products to be re-evaluated under Program 1, the foreign review must meet the following conditions:

• it covers the main science areas, such as human health and the environment, that are necessary for Canadian regulatory decisions;
• it addresses the active ingredient and the main formulation types registered in Canada; and
• it is relevant to registered Canadian uses.

The only end-use product containing copper 8-quinolinolate registered for use as a remedial/joinery wood preservative (that is, control of decay, mould and termites on a variety of finished wood products and structures applied by dip, brush or spray treatment) in Canada was discontinued by the registrant. Consequently, this use is no longer registered in Canada and is not considered in this decision.

Based on the health and environmental risk assessments published in the 2007 RED, the USEPA concluded that copper 8-quinolinolate was eligible for reregistration provided risk-reduction measures were adopted. The USEPA also conducted an evaluation of registered agricultural uses of copper pesticides, including products containing copper 8-quinolinolate, in the United States, and published a RED document for coppers in 2009. This document includes updated acute toxicology profiles for all copper salts and label requirements relating to user safety recommendations. The PMRA compared the American and Canadian use patterns and found the USEPA assessments described in the 2007 RED were an adequate basis for the evaluation of risks from residential exposure to copper 8-quinolinolate from the registered antisapstain uses.

Given the outcome of foreign reviews and a review of the chemistry of Canadian products, the PMRA does not require any further risk-reduction measures for Canadian antisapstain uses of copper 8-quinolinolate with respect to residential exposure. In this decision, the PMRA took into account the Canadian use pattern and issues (for example, the federal Toxic Substances Management Policy [TSMP]).

For more details on the information presented in this Re-evaluation Decision, please refer to the Science Evaluation in the related Proposed Re-evaluation Decision PRVD2010-20, Copper 8-quinolinolate.

What Is Copper 8-quinolinolate?

Copper 8-quinolinolate is a wood preservative that is used to control sapstain in freshly cut lumber and timber in transit and storage. Copper 8-quinolinolate is applied using dip equipment by commercial applicators. The only end-use product registered for use as a remedial/joinery wood preservative was discontinued by the registrant.

Health Considerations

Can Approved Uses of Copper 8-quinolinolate Affect Human Health?

Copper 8-quinolinolate is unlikely to affect your health when used according to the label directions.

Homeowners can be exposed to copper 8-quinolinolate when coming into contact with treated wood (for example, construction lumber). The PMRA considers two key factors when assessing health risks: the levels at which no health effects occur and the levels to which people may be exposed. The dose levels used to assess risks are established to protect the most sensitive human population (for example, children and nursing mothers). Only uses for which exposure is well below levels that cause no effects in animal testing are considered acceptable for continued registration.

The USEPA concluded that the antisapstain uses of copper 8-quinolinolate were unlikely to affect human health. These conclusions apply to the Canadian situation and residential exposure to copper 8-quinolinolate is not expected to be of concern.

Other Information

Any person may file a notice of objection⁴ regarding this decision on copper 8-quinolinolate within 60 days from the date of publication of this Re-evaluation Decision. For more information regarding the basis for objecting (which must be based on scientific grounds), please refer to the Pesticides and Pest Management portion of Health Canada's website (Request a Reconsideration of Decision) or contact the PMRA's Pest Management Information Service.