Canadian Regulations
Canada’s counterparts to the US OSHA and EPA
are CCOHS (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and
Safety) and Environment Canada, respectively. But while
Environment Canada can issue regulations under the Canadian
Environmental Protection Act, CCOHS serves mainly to
disseminate information on workplace health and safety, with
no regulatory or enforcement powers such as OSHA has.
CEPA Cr6+ clean air
Canada’s Environmental Protection Act
requires Environment Canada to maintain a list of toxic
contaminants known as the Priority Substances List 1, which
currently numbers 44 materials and includes hexavalent
chromium, cadmium and soluble nickel compounds. Within this
list, the most toxic materials are targeted by the agency
for virtually total elimination from the environment, while
the others are managed by regulation.
Environment Canada has recently proposed
national emission standards for Cr6+ emissions
from hard and decorative chrome plating and chromic acid
anodizing, similar to the EPA rule in the US. The new
Canadian regulations are
expected to be promulgated in the first half of 2006 and go
into effect 30 months later. There are also a number of
existing provincial regulations on Cr6+.
Canadian and US Cr6+ emission
rules.
|
|
Canada |
US |
|
Emission limit |
0.03 mg (30 µg)/dscm
for all Cr6+ processes |
0.03 mg (30 µg)/dscm
0.015 mg (15 µg)/dscm
0.01 mg (10 µg)/dscm
depending on process |
|
Type of facility |
No distinction between
large/small or old/new |
Emission limit depends on type |
|
Effective date |
Probably November 2008 |
January 1997 |
|
Surface tension emission control? |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Release (stack) testing |
Every 5 years |
Once only |
|
Exemptions |
<50 kg CrO3 use per
year |
Cr3+ decorative
plating, except for records |
Nickel
Soluble nickel compounds such as those used
in electroless and electrolytic nickel plating are also on
Environment Canada’s Priority Substances List 1 of toxic
pollutants. However, despite the agency’s classification of
these compounds as carcinogenic to humans, there are no
current plans to regulate them in Canada.
Cr6+ PEL
Canada
currently has no equivalent of the US OSHA PELs (permissible
exposure limits) for hazardous air contaminants in the
workplace. Nevertheless, the new
OSHA PEL for Cr6+ will
have such a wide-ranging effect on industrial processes in
the US that it is likely Canada will follow with a similar
rule – if only from US pressure to prevent the loss of
chrome plating and other business across the border, to
shops without the same regulatory controls on worker
exposure.
|
