From Health Canada:

This recall involves “Quick Fix Tire Inflator” instant flat tire sealer and inflator. The product is sold in a 340-g aerosol container and can be identified by the UPC 790920127610.

An inspection by Health Canada has determined that the recalled product does not meet the hazard symbols and bilingual labelling requirements for consumer chemical products under Canadian law.

This lack of labelling information could lead to improper handling and use of the product and to serious injury.

Neither Les Pièces d’auto Transit Inc. nor Health Canada have received any reports of incidents or injuries related to the use of this product in Canada.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled product and dispose of it as per Municipal Hazardous Waste Guidelines.

For more information, consumers may contact Les Pièces d’auto Transit Inc. at1 800-263-8916.

From the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety:

Top 5 questions about GHS answered

After years of anticipation, the implementation of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) is one step closer to reality in the United States (U.S.). This change has implications for Canadians and Americans alike, and raises many questions. Here are the top five questions – and the answers – that CCOHS is asked about the GHS.

1. What are Canada’s timelines for implementing the GHS in WHMIS?

This is the most common GHS question that CCOHS is asked and, unfortunately, the answer is that the implementation timelines for Canada are still unknown. Federal WHMIS regulators are working on finalizing their proposed changes to WHMIS to implement the GHS. Health Canada is expected to post detailed information on their website about how WHMIS may change, for public consultation. In addition to public consultation, Health Canada has identified these remaining steps:

• an economic analysis
• revision of the federal legislation, including the Hazardous Products Act and the Controlled Product Regulations
• revision of WHMIS regulations by the provincial and territorial governments

With Canadian laws often taking one or two years to be updated, CCOHS estimates that there won’t be new WHMIS laws until 2013 or later. Then it is expected that there will be a “transition period” for suppliers and employers to switch from old-to-new WHMIS requirements (possibly a two or three year transition period).

2. Are GHS safety data sheets (SDSs) accepted in Canada today?

Yes, they are, with a few important considerations.

For some time now the WHMIS program has had a policy to accept a number of different MSDS formats, including the 16-section GHS SDS format, in place of the 9-heading format required by the Controlled Products Regulations. However, it is very important to note that the MSDS/SDS must contain all of the WHMIS required content as specified in the Controlled Products Regulations (Schedule I, Column III). It is also important to note that the GHS hazard classification may not always be the same as the WHMIS classification and there are differences in terminology between the two systems. Therefore, care should to be taken to communicate messages that are consistent with the WHMIS hazard communication system.

3. Are GHS labels accepted in Canada today?

No, they are not. The National Office of WHMIS does not have a policy to accept GHS labels. There are some important differences in the label requirements of the two systems. For example, the WHMIS regulations require:

• the use of applicable WHMIS symbols – the GHS requires pictograms, but the pictograms are not identical to the WHMIS symbols;
• the use of a hatched border – the GHS does not require a specific label border; and
• reference to the material safety data sheet – there is no similar requirement in the GHS.

Note: It remains to be seen if the hatched border and reference to the SDS will be retained after the GHS is implemented in Canada.

4. I am a Canadian manufacturer shipping hazardous products to the U.S. How will changes to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard affect me?

This is a good question. As an exporter of hazardous products to the U.S., you will have to comply with the new “GHS” requirements of the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard when they become law. Keep in mind that a multi-year transition period is expected, so you will have time to reclassify your products and prepare OSHA GHS compliant SDSs and labels. However, depending on factors such the number of raw materials/ingredients used in your products, and the number of SDSs and labels that you must produce or update, you may want to get started sooner rather than later.

On the other hand, if you are a U.S. company shipping hazardous products into Canada, you will have to continue complying with WHMIS laws until the GHS is implemented in Canada.

5. Should I be training on the GHS now?

The primary goal of training is that all target audiences know how to recognize and interpret label and/or SDS information, and take appropriate precautions. Until the new laws come into force, you should continue to train on your existing hazard communication system (Canadian WHMIS or OSHA HazCom).

If you are an American supplier, employer, or worker, you should check the OSHA website for current information regarding implementation of the GHS in the U.S., and the new Hazard Communication Standard requirements. Training resources will likely be published very soon.

If you are a Canadian supplier, employer, or worker, the CCOHS “WHMIS after GHS” courses will help increase your awareness about potential changes. However, company-wide training is not a good idea until the possible requirements for GHS implementation into WHMIS are published.

We will keep you informed with regard to any Canadian GHS updates.

From Health Canada:

From OEHHA:

Effective March 16, 2012, the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is adding methanol (CAS No. 67-56-1) to the list of chemicals known to the State to cause reproductive toxicity for purposes of Proposition 65.¹

The listing of methanol is based on formal identification by the National Toxicology Program (NTP), an authoritative body,² in a report by the NTP Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction, that methanol causes reproductive toxicity (developmental endpoint).  The criteria used by OEHHA for the listing of chemicals under the “authoritative bodies” mechanism can be found in Title 27, Cal. Code of Regs., section 25306.

The documentation supporting OEHHA’s determination that the criteria for administrative listing have been satisfied for methanol is included in the Notice of Intent to List [Can you create a hyperlink to this Notice of Intent to List] published in the January 2, 2009 issue of the California Regulatory Notice Register (Register 2009, No. 1-Z).

A complete, updated chemical list is published in this issue of the California Regulatory Notice Register and is available on the OEHHA website at www.oehha.ca.gov.  In summary, methanol is being listed under Proposition 65 as known to the State to cause reproductive toxicity, as follows:

¹The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, Health and Safety Code section 25249.5 et seq.

² See Health and Safety Code, section 25249.8(b) and Title 27, Cal. Code of Regs., section 25306.

³ Listing mechanism:  AB – “authoritative bodies” mechanism (Title 27, Cal. Code of Regs. Section 25306).

Because of the significant public interest in methanol, an Interpretive Guideline No. 2012-001 is being published concurrently with this rulemaking notice. Follow this link to download a copy of the Interpretive Guideline.

We will keep you updated with any ongoing Prop 65 developments.

From Health Canada:

This recall involves “Aleene’s” Super Gels (skin-bonding adhesives) distributed by Michaels Stores Inc. The following three super gels are included in this recall:

Aleene’s Super Gel Brush-On Adhesive is identifiable by the SKU number 188998 and the UPC 017754291288;

Aleene’s Super Gel Instant Adhesive (Platinum Bond) is identifiable by the SKU number 083356 and the UPC 017754159748;

Aleene’s Super Gel Pen Adhesive is identifiable by the SKU number 188996 and the UPC 017754291301.

These products do not meet Canada’s legal requirements for labelling and child resistant containers for quick skin-bonding adhesives. These adhesives are a type of glue capable of bonding skin with skin instantly.

Neither Michaels Stores Inc. nor Health Canada has received any reports of incidents or injuries to Canadians related to the use of these products.

Consumers should keep the product out of reach of children and return the product to any Michaels Store for a full refund.

For more information contact Michaels Stores Inc. at 1-800-642-4235

From Health Canada:

This recall involves Blaze Jelled Chafing Fuel by Metro Ontario Inc. The product contains methyl alcohol and is used to generate instant clean fire for cooking in various environments.

The recalled jelled chafing fuel was sold in small metal containers as single units and as a two-pack, and can be identified by the UPC 794666781002 on the two-pack and theUPC 094922637024 on the single unit.

The recalled products do not meet the labelling requirements for Consumer Chemical Products under Canadian Law.

The lack of labelling information, including appropriate warnings, may lead to serious injury or property damage.

Health Canada has not received any reports of incidents or injuries to Canadians related to the use of these products.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled products and dispose of them as per Municipal Hazardous Waste Guidelines.

For more information contact Metro Ontario Inc. Customer Care at1-877-763-7374.

From firemarshals.org:

The National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM), whose members are the senior state fire officials in the U.S. and the District of Columbia, is pleased to provide this comment on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Fire Pots and Gel Fuel (76 Fed. Reg. 80832, Dec. 27, 2011). NASFM’s primary mission, and that of individual State Fire Marshals, is to

We will keep you informed of any developments from the CPSC.

Two Illinois laws go into effect on January 1, 2012: State of Illinois Criminal Offense  (720 ILCS 5/12‑37)
Sec. 12‑37. Possession and sale of caustic and noxious substances & (720 ILCS 5/12‑38)
Sec. 12‑38. Restrictions on purchase or acquisition of corrosive or caustic acid.

From the Illinois Retail Merchants Association:

H.B. 2193 (Sen. Bill Haine, D- Alton/Rep. Susana Mendoza, D- Chicago) was passed to the Governor yesterday by the Assembly. H.B. 2193 seeks to regulate caustic and corrosive acids. The legislation was initiated after two attacks last year on Chicago women who were left badly scarred after having acid poured on them.

The proposed law will do two things. First, it places limits on who can possess products that contain a federally delineated amount of caustic or corrosive acids and it creates a registry at the retail level for purchasers of these products.  The law states that no person can possess a product that is regulated by Title 16 CFR Section 1500.129 of the Federal Caustic Poison Act unless they fall into a number of exemptions listed in the Bill.  Persons engaged in the sale, possession, transportation, or use of such products for their intended commercial purpose, are exempt from the restriction on possession of the product. Second, retailers who sell such products will be required to register customers prior to their sale.  Customers must provide government-issued identification with their picture, as well as fill out a form listing the date and time of the transaction, brand and product names and net weight of the items.  Batteries are exempt from the registry requirements.

The new also law states that it is unlawful for any person knowingly to have in his or her possession or to carry about any of the substances which are regulated by Title 16 CFR Section 1500.129 of the Federal Caustic Poison Act and are required to contain the words “causes severe burns” as the affirmative statement of principal hazard on its label.

Full text of the (720 ILCS 5/12‑37)  Sec. 12‑37. Possession and sale of caustic and noxious substances can be found here, and full text of (720 ILCS 5/12‑38) Sec. 12‑38. Restrictions on purchase or acquisition of corrosive or caustic acid can be found here.

Click the links above for more information, we will keep you informed of any future changes.

From Health Canada:

Reed diffusers are home fragrance products that consist of a bottle, scented oils and reeds – thin wooden sticks used to diffuse the oil. Examples of reed diffusers are shown below (note that bottles and oils can come in various colours and sizes).

Health Canada has received reports of children ingesting the contents of reed diffuser products. There are several different types of oils used in reed diffuser products, some of which may be harmful if ingested. The colourful, fragrant oils and decorative material are likely to attract a child’s attention. Once the diffuser container is filled with the scented oil, the reeds are simply dropped into the filled bottle with one end submerged in the oil, making it readily accessible to toddlers or young children exploring their environment.

Under the Consumer Chemicals and Containers Regulations, 2001 (CCCR, 2001), all chemical products, including the oils used in reed diffusers, must be assessed by the manufacturer or importer to determine whether the product falls within any of the hazard categories specified by Parts 1 to 5 of the CCCR, 2001, such as “toxic” or “flammable”. Once assessed, these products may be subject to the labelling and packaging requirements of the CCCR, 2001. A product’s hazard category indicates whether any prohibition applies, if there are specific packaging requirements, such as child-resistant containers, and what statements must appear on the label of the container.

We will keep you informed of any new developments, and if you are a manufacturer or importer of reed diffusers and oils contact us @ Nexreg to see how we can help you comply with the CCCR, 2001.