Drugs and Personal Care Products

Since September 2001, the environmental review of substances new to Canada that are present in products regulated under the   Food and Drugs Act (F&DA) are subject to the  New Substances Notification Regulations (NSNR) of the  Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999) . These products include pharmaceuticals, biologics, veterinary drugs, cosmetics, novel foods, food additives, natural health products and medical devices. The Environmental Assessment Unit was established to conduct these assessments.

As the NSNR are designed for commercial chemicals, there is a need to develop a set of regulations appropriate for the F&DA products which can be integrated with current regulations for these products. The Environmental Assessment Unit is working with the Office of Regulatory and International Affairs, Health Products and Food Branch, to develop these regulations. For more information on the Environmental Assessment Project, including the notification guidelines for industry, please refer to the Environmental Impact Initiative.