Canadian coatings trade group to form biocides council
The Canadian Paint and Coatings Association (CPCA) has announced it is forming a council dedicated to regulatory issues related to biocides. And one of its main ambitions will be to encourage “full alignment” in regulatory decisions on biocides in Canada and the US.
The council will include Canadian and US-based manufacturers and suppliers in the paints and coatings sector. It also expects to include representatives of the US and Canadian agencies dealing with biocides,
The council’s goal will be to “ensure all those implicated in the ongoing regulatory development process [on biocides] make their views known” and that regulatory decisions are based on the best data available, Mr LeRoux said.
To tackle this, the group will try to open a dialogue between industry and the regulatory agencies on the data required for the evaluation and reevaluation of biocidal active substances.
This includes making sure users of biocides are at the table early on, which, according to Mr LeRoux, “has not always been the case”.
And the council will try to ensure agencies on both sides of the border have access to the same information. Mr LeRoux said that although they say they share info, “it’s not clear that is always the case”.
The CPCA has previously voiced concerns over Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Control Agency (PMRA) making decisions to ban or restrict the use of in-can preservatives, even while they continue to be permitted in the US.
In Canada, several other biocidal active substances are scheduled for reevaluation within the next two years. “[This] requires we take action now to prevent further use restrictions and bans,” Mr LeRoux said.
The CPCA hopes to formally announce the biocides council and its members soon.