On August 12, 2026, Environment and Climate Change Canada issued an order (SOR/2026-168) to add 656 chemicals and polymers to the Domestic Substances List (DSL). This marks the first large-scale update to the substances list completed under the authority of the newly added Section 66.1 following the 2023 amendments to the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).
Background
These newly added substances were previously listed on the Revised In Commerce List (R-ICL). The R-ICL is an administrative list that includes chemicals that were already in commercial circulation in products regulated under Canada's Food and Drugs Act between January 1, 1987, and September 13, 2001.
Because substances on the R-ICL were not previously on the DSL, they were considered "new substances" in Canada. Before using them in products not regulated under the Food and Drugs Act, companies were required to comply with the notification and assessment requirements under the New Substances Notification Regulations (NSNR). In 2023, the Strengthening Environmental Protection for a Healthier Canada Act amended CEPA, granting the Minister of the Environment the authority to directly add R-ICL substances to the DSL under qualifying conditions.
First Batch of 656 Substances Passes Review
According to the Minister's review, these 656 substances meet all three criteria under CEPA Section 66.1(1):
- Listed on the static R-ICL formed after the nomination deadline of November 3, 2019;
- Not listed in Schedule I of the Notice of intent to remove substances with no commercial activity;
- Not subject to conditions imposed under CEPA Section 84(1)(a).
These substances, identified by their CAS Registry Numbers, have been added to Part 1 of the DSL in numerical order. The order officially came into force on the date of registration, July 30, 2026.
All substances on Canada's Domestic Substances List can be queried through ChemRadar GCIS:
https://www.chemradar.com/en/tools/cis/inv/649a35397ba20a1a4f5fd7bb
