About the Board

Terms of Reference of the Board

The Minister of the Environment has provided broad direction to the Board of Review members to inquire into the nature and extent of the danger posed by the substance.  This direction is provided in the Terms of Reference which formed part of the Ministerial Notice that was published in Canada Gazette, Part I.

The Board of Review, in considering the scope of its mandate, requested the views of all parties, including counsel representing Canada and the Silicones Environmental, Health and Safety Council of North America and those interested persons granted intervenor status (the Canadian Cosmetic Toiletry and Fragrance Association and the coalition consisting of the Canadian Environmental Law Association, the International Institute of Concern for Public Health, Chemical Sensitivities Manitoba and the Crooked Creek Conservancy Society of Athabasca). The Board has considered these submissions and has concluded that its inquiry will focus on the nature and extent of the danger posed by siloxane D5 to the environment or to its biological diversity.

The Board has also advised the Minister of its intent to extend the term of its review until September 30, 2011. A schedule for the Board of Review's proceedings is available. More detailed information about the public hearings can be found here.

Board of Review Members

Chair - Dr. John P. Giesy, Ph.D. is currently the Canada Research Chair of Environmental Toxicology in the Department of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences and Toxicology Centre at the University of Saskatchewan and Distinguished Professor of Zoology Emeritus at Michigan State University.  Prof. Giesy was president of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry and is a recipient of that society’s highest award, for scientific excellence, the SETAC Founder’s Award as well as the SETAC Education Award.  He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.  Prof. Giesy is a world renowned eco-toxicologist and environmental chemist with expertise in many aspects of eco-toxicology, including the fates and effects of potentially toxic compounds, particularly in the area of ecological risk assessment.  Prof. Giesy has conducted research into the movement, bioaccumulation and effects of toxic substances at different levels of biological organization, ranging from biochemical to ecosystem.  He has also discovered the phenomenon of photo enhanced toxicity of organic compounds, such as PAHs and was the first to report the occurrence of perfluorinated compounds in the environment.  Being the 2^nd most cited author in the combined fields of Ecology/Environmental Science through 1999 to 2009, Prof. Giesy has published 713 peer-reviewed articles and presented 1,519 lectures, world-wide. Prof. Giesy advises any agencies around the world and served on the Boards of Scientific Councillors of both the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and US National Institutes of Health.  He currently serves on the Chartered Science Advisory Board of the USA EPA.

Dr. Sam Kacew is the Associate Director of Toxicology at the McLauglin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment, and a Professor in the Department of Cellular & Molecular Medicine at the University of Ottawa.  Professor Kacew is also a member of the Committee on Toxicology of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of the USA and a member of the Advisory Expert Committee of the Canadian Network of Toxicology Centres.  He has been a peer reviewer for the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) on the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) documents, the Health Effects Assessment Summary Table (HEAST) chemicals, and the chemical-specific issue papers for the Superfund Technical Support Center (STSC).  Being the author of over 100 papers, reviews and book chapters with emphasis in general toxicology, Dr. Kacew is a symbol of excellence in the field of toxicology.  He has been awarded numerous prizes including the Public Communications Award of the Society of Toxicology in 2002.

Dr. Keith Ross Solomon is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Environmental Science and Director of the Centre for Toxicology at the University of Guelph.  Professor Solomon directs an active program of research into the fate and effects of pesticides and other substances in the environment and ecological risk assessment.  Professor Solomon currently serves on several advisory committees on matters related to environmental toxicology and risk assessment of pesticides and other substances in Canada, USA, Europe and for the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP).  Having more than 200 scientific articles associated with his name, Professor Solomon is a leader in the field of environmental toxicity research.  He is also the recipient of numerous awards, including the Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Founders’ Award in 2006, the Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Europe Award for Environmental Education in 2006, and the American Chemical Society International Award for Research in Agrochemicals in 2002.