Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?

Canada's recently proposed limits only deal with drinking water, not other contaminated sources such as food, soils, sediments and air, Brar pointed out.

Last year, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced plans to consult governments and industry stakeholders about creating an interim standard and limits for PFAS in biosolids imported or sold as fertilizers in Canada.

Health Canada's Johnson said the final drinking water objective for PFAS will be published later this year, replacing current guidelines and screening values.

In May 2023, Health Canada issued a draft recommendation to label PFAS, an entire class of chemicals, as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.

In the same month, DuPont de Nemours Inc. and spinoffs Chemours Co. and Corteva Inc. reached a US$1.18-billion deal over similar complaints by about 300 drinking water providers.

According to the business law firm Osler, a class action was certified in 2021 against the National Research Council of Canada over PFAS in the surface water and groundwater at the NRC’s facility in Mississippi Mills, Ont.