Chemicals in Toronto Reduction and Awaremess in our Community (ChemTRAC)

Frequently Asked Questions for Businesses

What is ChemTRAC?

The ChemTRAC program aims to improve public health and support a green local economy by reducing toxic chemicals in our environment. Toronto Public Health has identified 25 priority substances that are in Toronto's air at levels that are of concern for health.

Evidence links these chemicals to short-term health affects like respiratory problems, and longer-term impacts such as cancer.

ChemTRAC:

  • Requires local facilities to track and report on the use and release of priority substances (Environmental Reporting and Disclosure Bylaw)
  • Supports local facilities with green business practice strategies such as pollution prevention; and
  • Provides the public with information on the key chemicals in their community.
  • Research on similar programs shows that when facilities are required to track and report chemicals, the information helps them to find ways to reduce their toxic chemicals. This means sustainable businesses and a cleaner, healthier environment.
What are the potential health and environmental impacts of the priority substances?

Go to the Health Effects of Priority Substances web page for a summary of health effects of each of the 25 priority substances.

When does the ChemTRAC program start?

ChemTRAC is already underway. Educational resources and assistance programs for businesses are available, grants are being awarded, and the reporting Bylaw is already in effect. Reporting requirements are being phased in over the next three years, based on the type of business. The first reporting deadline is June 30, 2011. The first chemical data and environmental information on businesses will be available in 2012.

What types of businesses are covered?

ChemTRAC will collect data and support environmental improvements for all sizes of businesses. Businesses captured under the bylaw include autobody shops, dry cleaners, printing shops and manufacturers. The City of Toronto's facilities, such as water treatment plants and printing shops, are also involved. For a complete list of facilities see please visit the 4 Steps to Reporting web page

How can ChemTRAC help businesses?

Managing toxic chemicals costs money for waste management, compliance, and health and safety. Programs like ChemTRAC have demonstrated that tracking chemicals is the first step in preparing a business to manage them more efficiently and cost-effectively, and to identify environmental opportunities to reduce chemical hazards. ChemTRAC offers businesses grants and information on environmental best practices to support them in going green and saving money.

How does ChemTRAC complement other regulatory programs such as the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI), and the Ontario Toxics Reduction Act?

Current reporting programs like the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) and the Ontario's Toxics Reduction Act only focus on large businesses. Most programs that support pollution prevention are also targeted at larger businesses. In an urban setting like Toronto, the majority of facilities using chemicals are too small to be included in these programs. The City estimates that ChemTRAC will collect data from 5,000 to 7,000 local facilities, in contrast to the other programs, which collect data from about 300 facilities in Toronto.

Why not focus on large businesses rather than make smaller businesses report?

Although use or release of chemicals from individual small and medium-sized businesses may be modest and meet existing environmental standards, the long-term cumulative exposure to chemicals from many facilities in close proximity to where people live creates significant concern for health.

Can the City help me prepare for reporting?

Yes. Chemical reporting may be new to some facilities and businesses. To help businesses adapt, ChemTRAC is offering technical support through free technical assistance visits and free sector specific training workshops. Register today.

Are there grants available to help my business reduce chemicals?

Yes. The Live Green Toronto ChemTRAC Toxics Reduction Grants offer up to $25,000 for programs that help reduce toxic chemicals. Individual businesses must partner with business associations or other not-for-profit organization to be eligible for grants."

What are the benefits to greening my business?

Reductions will help you:

  • Save money in operating costs
  • Improve worker health and safety
  • Enhance community relations
  • Meet consumer demands for greener options
How can I inform the community on my good environmental practices?

Whether or not your facility is required to report under the Bylaw, the City's online reporting system allows you to voluntarily provide information about your facility's environmental goals and programs. We encourage you to provide this information. The City will make all or part of this information publicly available in its database

My head office is in Toronto but my facilities are in Burlington, do I have to report?

The Bylaw applies to certain facilities located in Toronto, which includes the former cities of Toronto, Etobicoke, East York, York, North York and Scarborough. If the facility is outside of Toronto, a report is not required for that facility.

My head office is in Burlington but I have multiple facilities in Toronto, do I have to report?

The Bylaw applies directly to individual facilities. Businesses with more than one facility in the Toronto boundaries will have to determine if each individual facility meets the reporting requirements of the Bylaw. In order to report, a unique registration will have to be completed for each facility.

Since the Bylaw is being phased in based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes, what is my deadline for reporting if my facility has a variety of processes with NAICS codes in different phases? Do I have to report all my facility activities at the same time, or leave those that fit a later NAICS code for a later year?

For the purpose of the phased deadlines, your NAICS code is the NAICS code that best describes the greatest percentage of your activity. For example, if most of your business consists of manufacturing products from steel (NAICS 3312 Phase 3) but you also have some on-site wastewater treatment (NAICS 2213 Phase I), you should consider your facility a steel product manufacturer. Your reporting deadline therefore would be June 30, 2012 (Phase 3).

All activities from your facility are required to be reported for the same deadline. For example as a Phase 3 facility you would report data from your metal manufacturing, wastewater treatment and any other activities (if applicable) by June 30, 2013.

I run a printing shop that only uses photocopiers. Am I required to report?

Photocopy shops will have to report if you meet reporting thresholds. Photocopying uses toner which can release priority substances (particularly volatile organic compounds, or VOCs). Toronto Public Health is preparing a ChemTRAC calculator to help you estimate emissions from photocopying. If you need assistance, please call 311. If you use any other type of printing equipment, such as a press, you should also track any substances, and can use our ChemTRAC Calculator to help. See the "Printing" Sector calculator on our website at http://www.toronto.ca/health/chemtrac/business_resources.htm#tools. The deadline for reporting for the printing sector is June 30, 2011.

I consulted my Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and it lists a range of 8-12% for a priority substance. What value should I use to do my calculations to see if I reach the reporting threshold?

Unless you can obtain more specific information from you supplier, we suggest you use the middle value in the range. For 8-12%, use 10% as the value for your calculations.

I consulted my Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and it lists the content of a priority substance as "less than or greater than 33%." What value should I use to do my calculations to see if I reach the reporting threshold?

Unless you can obtain more specific information from your supplier, we suggest you use the value indicated. In this case, use 33% for your calculations.

When I report my use of metals, do I also have to report their compounds?

Yes, when reporting metals, you are required to report metals and their compounds. When determining whether or not you use a metal, do not simply search for the associated CAS numbers because individual metal compounds also have their specific CAS numbers. In Schedule A of Municipal Code Chapter 423, the Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) number is provided for metals (Cadmium, Chromium (Hexavalent and Non-hexavalent), Lead, Manganese, Mercury, and Nickel).

Please note that the CAS number for Chromium, Hexavalent has been corrected. The correct CAS number is 18540-29-9.

Last updated on January 2012