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Products Case Study
Context:
There is a legal requirement for Canadian suppliers of WHMIS controlled products "intended for use in a work place in Canada " to transmit a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) disclosing prescribed information as a condition of sale. In addition, there is a legal requirement for Canadian importers of controlled products to obtain or prepare MSDSs as a condition of importation.
Generally, Canadian suppliers and importers gather ecological information to evaluate the environmental impact of the material in case of a spill (e.g. toxicity to fish, birds, plants and micro-organisms). This information is intended mainly for environmental professionals and other company staff; evaluating use, disposal or spill control. The testing may be done as due diligence against future liabilities, and for impact or risk assessments. However, other international standards ( ANSI , EEC , ILO, ISO) require this ecological information be included on the MSDS. To fulfill these international requirements, companies need to submit samples of their product(s) for ecotoxicity testing.
Goal:
To generate ecological toxicity data for inclusion on MSDSs that satisfy international standards. Testing is done according to the guidelines for Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) as defined by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Approach:
• Determine the standard to which the product must be tested and recommend this testing to the client.
• Implement a series of toxicological tests covering multiple trophic levels. This can include microbes (bacterial luminescence and ready biodegradability), plants (algae and Lemna ), invertebrates ( Ceriodaphnia and Daphnia ), and vertebrates (fathead minnows and trout).
• Report the testing results in a comprehensive format.
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