Health Canada postponed lowering the limits on the popular metalworking fluid biocide triazine to 500 ppm, a change originally scheduled to go into effect in mid-June, while it reviews more data.
Formaldehyde-releasing chemistries are very cost-effective biocides and have been used for decades in metalworking fluids. The most common formaldehyde-donor chemistry is triazine, also known as hexahydrotriazine or HHT.
Following consultation with stakeholders, Health Canadas Pest Management Regulatory Agency published its decision on the re-evaluation of triazine in 2010 because formaldehyde is recognized as a human carcinogen.
To further protect workers, the application rate was reduced from 1,200 ppm to 500 ppm for metalworking fluids, hydraulic fluids, chain lubricants and spin finish emulsions, Health Canada spokeswoman Oliva Caron told Lube Report. The change is in line with actions taken by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. As part of the decision, supporting data were required to confirm the effectiveness of the reduced application rate. Data have been received and are currently being assessed. The assessment must be completed before the implementation of the reduced application rate.
The metalworking fluids industry contends that triazine is not effective at 500 ppm.
Adrian Krygsman, director of product registration with Troy Corp. in Florham Park, N.J., told Lube Report, essentially PMRA is taking time to contact individually the registrants and those who had commented, and who have products based on HHT, just to let them know what theyre doing, with the promise they would follow up with a written document. We havent seen that yet. At PMRA, essentially its status quo until theyve really had a chance to review new efficacy data and go over our data and any other particular comments that have been made on this. And also to again confer with their U.S. colleagues, and then theyll make a decision.
He noted triazine was the first formaldehyde-donor product to go through an evaluation process by the EPA.
As goes HHT, thats the same way all the other donor products will go, Krygsman said. Thats why it was so key in terms of a product for a lot of the industry. Now with everything on hold, everyone is waiting to see – when is it going to restart again, how its going to look now, in light of everything that has happened with formaldehyde over the last two years? I would think thats also the stance PMRA is going to take – theyre going to wait and see what happens with the U.S. EPA as well.