Canada plans to declare “forever chemicals” toxic

The Canadian government wants to designate an entire class of “forever chemicals” as toxic to human health and the environment. The move will facilitate the phase-out of such substances in many industrial applications. Talking with the press, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault said that his ministry proposed adding per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) to the list of toxic substances covered in the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. These chemicals are used in firefighting foams, food packaging materials, medical devices, cosmetics, textiles, furniture, and electronics. They are very popular because they have high resistance to degradation and low surface tension. However, they take many years to break down and have been linked to several illnesses, including cancer and liver disease. Their widespread use makes human exposure constant and prolonged by ingestion, breathing, applying cosmetics, and drinking contaminated water. A recent federal report underlined the negative impact of PFAS on the lives of Canadians, especially First Nations, firefighters, and people living near airports and military installations. Guilbeault’s initiative aims to include the entire class of chemicals (4700 substances) in the toxic list, promoting their gradual and regulated elimination from industrial activities. Phase 1 of the proposed process will eliminate PFAS from firefighting foams by 2027, while Phase 2 will start a consultation process on their elimination from consumer goods and Phase 3 will target the use of PFAS in medical and transport applications, where there are fewer alternatives to replace them. Phase 3 has no timeline yet. All Phases will include consultations with the industrial sector, and there might be exemptions based on a cost-benefit business analysis.
In January, an important report from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warned that exposure to sewage sludge containing PFAS could harm human health. It also recognized the “impossibility” of removing the chemicals from the environment. Commenting on the impact of PFAS on shared waterways with the USA, Guilbeault said that it is unclear how the new Trump administration will deal with the issue. In 2022, Maine was the first US State to ban PFAS from agricultural applications. Several European countries have recently called for a major restriction on PFAS across the European Union.