PFAS contamination in Canada should prompt this new federal government to turn off the tap
This new map of PFAS contamination in Canada is alarming, and allows us to see where our homes and communities are at risk of exposure to these highly toxic chemicals.
PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” are a large class of chemicals used in a wide range of non-stick, grease- and stain-proof consumer products, and are linked to serious health harms including cancers, immune system damage, and kidney and liver diseases.
People in Canada deserve, and want, a toxic-free future. This is the time for bold policy that protects human and environmental health from “forever chemicals.”
What can we do?
This is a major problem that demands action from the federal government. Canada’s new Prime Minister, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and Minister of Health need to turn off the tap on PFAS, including quickly eliminating these forever chemicals from consumer products.
What’s more, hotspot communities need federal leadership and resources to protect human health, support municipal and household water treatment, and make PFAS producers responsible for the costs of dealing with their mess.
You can send a letter to these Ministers, and your Member of Parliament, and let them know that this needs to be on the top of their list.
Recent polling shows that nearly 9 in 10 people in Canada support federal action to get toxic chemicals out of our products (88 per cent):
And 86 per cent want to see federal action on PFAS specifically:
This support can be found across age, income, and even party affiliation:
Though there’s been some progress, it’s taken four years for the federal government to issue a draft order listing PFAS as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), and they aren’t planning to start consultations on proposed regulations until 2027.
Just this month, over 2000 people signed on to a joint submission calling on the federal government to hurry up and start phasing out this class of toxic chemicals from consumer products.
Join us in this urgent push to get PFAS phaseouts to the top of the federal government’s to-do list.
View the full PFAS hotspot map here.
