La Gazette du Canada, Partie I, volume 157, numéro 5 : Règlement modifiant le Règlement sur les produits contenant du mercure
Le 4 février 2023
(Erratum)
Fondement législatif
Loi canadienne sur la protection de l’environnement (1999)
Ministères responsables
Ministère de l’Environnement
Ministère de la Santé
Avis est par les présentes donné que dans la version anglaise du règlement susmentionné, publié aux pages 6182 et 6183 de la Partie I de la Gazette du Canada, vol. 156, no 52, en date du samedi 24 décembre 2022, les paragraphes qui suivent, qui paraissaient sous l’en-tête « Dental amalgam », contenaient des erreurs et auraient dû être rédigés ainsi :
- Some associations of Indigenous Peoples and other stakeholder groups expressed concerns over the lack of proposed amendments for dental amalgam and the associated health risks. The groups pointed out that other countries have banned dental amalgams completely or partially, mercury-free alternatives are widely available, and the Convention requires a phase-down of dental amalgams. Therefore, some stakeholders believe an exemption should only be allowed for specific medical cases.
- The Government of Canada supports the Convention’s phase-down approach to dental amalgam use and has met its obligations under the Convention through the implementation of various actions to minimize the need for dental restoration, reduce mercury releases to the environment from dental facilities, and restrict the use of dental amalgam to its encapsulated form. The reliance on dental amalgam in Canada has been declining steadily over the past decade, including a sharp 25% decline between 2016 and 2019. A further phase-down should occur in Canada with improved dental health promotion, disease prevention programs and further research into alternative restorative materials. Based on scientific evidence, including recent Canadian studies, the mercury that is absorbed from amalgams is not at a level of concern for most Canadians, regardless of the number of amalgam surfaces. The Government’s position is that the use of dental amalgams is safe and that mercury exposure from dental amalgams does not pose a health risk for the general population.