Scientific Panel Disagrees With Government Assessment Of Environmental Danger Posed By Chemical Compound

On October 20, 2011, the Siloxane D5 Board of Review ("Board") released a report3 concluding that decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5), an odorless, colorless compound used in a variety of dry-cleaning, personal care and cosmetic products, did not pose a danger to the environment or its biodiversity. This report generated interest not only because it disagreed with Environment Canada's risk analysis and conclusions with respect to D5, but because it was the first ever report from a board of this kind.

In 2008, Environment Canada and Health Canada conducted a screening assessment of D5 under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA) which concluded that D5 was being released into the environment in a quantity or concentration, or under conditions, that may have an immediate or long-term harmful effect on the environment or its biological diversity. The conclusion relied heavily on the finding that D5 exceeded the regulatory thresholds for "persistence"¹ and