Canada Proposes Designating Manganese and Its Compounds as "Toxic" Substances

On October 25, 2025, Canada’s Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) and Health Canada announced in Part I of the Canada Gazette a 60-day public consultation on the proposed addition of "manganese and its compounds" to Part 2 of Schedule 1 under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA 1999). This signals the government’s intent to classify manganese and its compounds as "toxic" substances and initiate nationwide risk management measures.

Background

Manganese ranks as Canada’s third-largest metallic additive, with annual imports of approximately 14,000 metric tons, widely used in steel production, batteries, fertilizers, cosmetics, and fuel additives. Following a scientific assessment, the Canadian government released both a Draft Assessment and a Risk Management Scope on October 25, 2025.

The government concluded that manganese and its compounds "are entering or may enter the environment in quantities, concentrations, or under conditions that pose an immediate or long-term harmful effect on the environment or its biological diversity" and "constitute or may constitute a danger to human life or health", meeting the criteria under section 64(a) and (c) of CEPA. This supports their proposed listing under Part 2 of Schedule 1 of CEPA 1999.

List of manganese substances identified as priorities for assessment

Public Participation

The consultation deadline is December 24, 2025. Individuals and organizations may submit written comments on the “Proposed Listing Conclusion” and “Risk Management Scope” through:

• Email: substances@ec.gc.ca
• Online: Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Single Window System

Further Information

Gazette