Priority Substances List Assessment Report for Phenol

1.0 Introduction

The Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) requires the federal Ministers of the Environment and of Health to prepare and publish a Priority Substances List (PSL) that identifies substances, including chemicals, groups of chemicals, effluents and wastes, that may be harmful to the environment or constitute a danger to human health. The Act also requires both Ministers to assess these substances and determine whether they are "toxic" as defined in Section 11 of the Act, which states:

...a substance is toxic if it is entering or may enter the environment in a quantity or concentration or under conditions

1. having or that may have an immediate or long-term harmful effect on the environment;
2. constituting or that may constitute a danger to the environment on which human life depends; or
3. constituting or that may constitute a danger in Canada to human life or health.

Substances that are assessed as "toxic" as defined in Section 11 may be placed on Schedule I of the Act and considered for possible risk management measures, such as regulations, guidelines or codes of practice to control any aspect of their life cycle, from the research and development stage through manufacture, use, storage, transport and ultimate disposal.

Based on initial screening of readily accessible information, the rationale for assessing phenol provided by the Ministers' Expert Advisory Panel on the Second Priority Substances List (Ministers' Expert Advisory Panel, 1995) was as follows:

The organic chemical sector represents the largest source of this substance. Phenol is used primarily in the production of phenolic resins. It is also emitted from petroleum refineries, iron and steel mills, sewage treatment plants, and the dye and plastics industries. Acute and chronic ecotoxicological effects have been reported in fish, amphibians and reptiles exposed to phenol. In mammals, phenol affects the respiratory and nervous systems, liver and kidneys. An assessment is necessary to characterize exposure levels and risks to the environment and human health in Canada.

Descriptions of the approaches to assessment of the effects of Priority Substances on the environment and human health are available in published companion documents. A document entitled "Environmental Assessments of Priority Substances under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. Guidance Manual Version 1.0 - March 1997" (Environment Canada, 1997a) provides guidance for conducting environmental assessments of Priority Substances in Canada. This document may be purchased from:

• Environmental Protection Publications
  Environmental Technology Advancement Directorate
  Environment Canada
  Ottawa, Ontario
  K1A 0H3

It is also available on the Internet at  www.ec.gc.ca/cceb1/eng/psap.htm under the heading "Technical Guidance Manual."

The approach to assessment of effects on human health is outlined in the following publication of the Environmental Health Directorate of Health Canada: "Canadian Environmental Protection Act - Human Health Risk Assessment for Priority Substances" (Health Canada, 1994), copies of which are available from:

• Environmental Health Centre
  Room 104
  Health Canada
  Tunney's Pasture
  Ottawa, Ontario
  K1A 0L2

or on the Environmental Health Directorate publications web site (www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ehp/ehd/catalogue/bch.htm). The approach is also described in an article published in the Journal of Environmental Science and Health - Environmental Carcinogenesis & Ecotoxicology Reviews (Meek et al.,., 1994). It should be noted that the approach outlined therein has evolved to incorporate recent developments in risk assessment methodology, which are described on the Environmental Substances Division web site (www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ehp/ehd/bch/env_contaminants/psap/psap.htm) and which will be addressed in future releases of the approach paper for the assessment of effects on human health.

The search strategies employed in the identification of data relevant to assessment of potential effects on the environment (prior to May 1998) and human health (prior to September 1997) are presented in Appendix A. Review articles were consulted where appropriate. However, all original studies that form the basis for determining whether phenol is "toxic" under CEPA have been critically evaluated by staff of Environment Canada (entry and environmental exposure and effects) and Health Canada (human exposure and effects on human health).

The environmental sections of this Assessment Report were produced by R. Breton, Environment Canada. A first draft of the exposure and effects chapters of the supporting documentation for the environmental assessment was prepared by Scott Teed and Dwayne Moore of The Cadmus Group, Inc.

An Environmental Resource Group was established by Environment Canada to assist in the writing, collection of exposure data and review of the environmental assessment for phenol. The Environmental Resource Group, which consisted of scientific experts from the federal government and industry, was established in the fall of 1996. Members included:

• Roger Breton, Environment Canada
• Lorna Brownlee, Environment Canada
• Douglas Bryant, CanTox Inc.
• Howard Carter, Imperial Oil
• Jacques Gagnon, Natural Resources Canada
• Patrick Georges, Consultant on behalf of Environment Canada
• Roger Keefe, Imperial Oil
• Tanis Lugsdin, Environment Canada
• Sondra O'Block, Aristech Chemical Corporation
• Lynne Patenaude, Environment Canada
• Joe Wittwer, Environment Canada

Sections of this Assessment Report and the supporting documentation (Environment Canada, 1998a) relevant to the environmental assessment were reviewed by members of the Environmental Resource Group, as well as by:

• Richard P. Brown, Exxon Biomedical Sciences, Inc.
• Nigel Bunce, University of Guelph
• John Headley, Environment Canada
• Robert Kent, Environment Canada
• Shawn Michajluk, Environment Canada
• Dwayne Moore, The Cadmus Group, Inc.
• Charles A. Staples, Assessment Technologies, Inc.
• William Strachan, Environment Canada
  
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The health-related sections of this Assessment Report and the supporting documentation were prepared by the following staff of Health Canada:

• W. Bruce
• M.E. Meek
• R. Newhook

Sections of the Assessment Report and supporting documentation on genotoxicity were reviewed by D. Blakey of the Environmental and Occupational Toxicology Division of Health Canada. Sections of the supporting documentation pertaining to human health were reviewed externally by B. Duncan (Allied Signal, Inc.), R. Gingell (Shell Chemical Company), G. Granville (Shell Canada Limited) and C. Morris (ICC U.S.A., Inc.), primarily to address adequacy of coverage. Accuracy of reporting, adequacy of coverage and defensibility of conclusions with respect to hazard characterization and dose-response analyses were considered in written review by staff of the Information Department of BIBRA International and at a panel meeting of the following members, convened by Toxicology Excellence in Risk Assessment (TERA):

• M. Bogdanffy, DuPont Haskell Laboratory
• M. Dourson, TERA
• A. Jarabek, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (written comments)
• R. Keenan, ChemRisk Division of McLaren/Hart
• G. Leikauf, University of Cincinnati
• R. Manning, Georgia Department of Natural Resources
• E. Ohanian, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• K. Poirier, Procter and Gamble
• A. Renwick, University of Southampton
• L. Rosato, Millennium Petrochemical Corporation
• L. Sirinek, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency

The health-related sections of the Assessment Report were reviewed and approved by the Health Protection Branch Risk Management meeting of Health Canada.

The entire Assessment Report was reviewed and approved by the Environment Canada/Health Canada CEPA Management Committee.

A draft of the Assessment Report was made available for a 60-day public comment period (May 1 to June 29, 1999) (Environment Canada and Health Canada, 1999). Following consideration of comments received, the Assessment Report was revised as appropriate.

A summary of the comments and their responses is available on the Internet at:

 www.ec.gc.ca/cceb1/eng/final/index_e.html

The text of the Assessment Report has been structured to address environmental effects initially (relevant to determination of "toxic" under Paragraphs 11(a) and (b)), followed by effects on human health (relevant to determination of "toxic" under Paragraph 11(c)).

Copies of this Assessment Report are available upon request from:

• Inquiry Centre
  Environment Canada
  Main Floor, Place Vincent Massey
  351 St. Joseph Blvd.
  Hull, Quebec
  K1A 0H3

or on the Internet at:

 www.ec.gc.ca/cceb1/eng/final/index_e.html

Unpublished supporting documentation, which presents additional information, is available upon request from:

• Commercial Chemicals Evaluation Branch
  Environment Canada
  14th Floor, Place Vincent Massey
  351 St. Joseph Blvd.
  Hull, Quebec
  K1A 0H3

or

• Environmental Health Centre
  Room 104
  Health Canada
  Tunney's Pasture
  Ottawa, Ontario
  K1A 0L2