That is the problem. The differences in the regulations cause a lot of confusion.
On Tuesday, I heard Mr. Cannings explain how confusing this was, and I think there is a general consensus in that regard. Canada lumped everything together and looks at everything from a drug perspective. It applies the drug regulations to all of these products. These regulations apply to the pharmaceutical industry and they are accompanied by pharmacovigilance principles, clinical studies and everything that is involved in that. In Canada, the same regulations that apply to drugs also apply to disinfectants.
That means that, unlike the United States Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, and unlike the European Chemicals Agency, which implemented the REACH regulations, Canada does not review the raw materials that will make up a disinfectant. We do not do any toxicological reviews or reviews of the environmental fate of those materials. We assess the quality or suitability of a disinfectant based on the drug criteria. We look at whether the product will reduce something or prevent a disease. In Canada, we do not look at whether a disinfectant will make surfaces cleaner or more hygienic.
That is the difference in the regulations, and that is what is preventing Canadian companies from doing business in the U.S.