The Canadian government is calling for an entire class of “forever chemicals” to be deemed legally toxic to human health and the environment — a designation that would advance a plan to phase out the use of thousands of substances, according to a new federal report.
Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault told reporters Wednesday that his ministry was proposing per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) — a class of 4,700 chemicals — be added to toxic substances list under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
The chemicals are used in firefighting foams; food packaging materials; natural health products and non-prescription drugs; medical devices; cosmetics; pesticides; textiles such as carpets, furniture, clothing and diapers; vehicles; and electronics.
“It's an unprecedented approach, since we're regulating the entire class of PFAS, and not just one substance, one molecule at a time,” said Guilbeault.
Studies show 'solid' evidence 'forever chemicals' dangerous to humans, environment
The minister’s comments came after the release of the federal State of PFAS Report, a wide-ranging government analysis of a large body of science investigating the impacts of the chemicals, including recent studies showing certain sub-classes of PFAS have negative effects on humans at lower levels than previously thought.
The chemicals take many years to break down and have been linked to a range of illnesses — including altered immune and thyroid function, negative reproductive and developmental outcomes, liver and kidney disease, and cancer.
Human exposure can occur from a variety of sources, from ingestion, to applying cosmetics, breathing in ambient and indoor air, and drinking contaminated water.
Bio-monitoring studies have found the chemicals in the blood of many Canadians, with especially high concentrations found among First Nations, firefighters, people living in Canada’s North, and those residing near military installations and airports.
Speaking on background, senior government officials described the evidence underpinning the impacts to human health and the environment as “solid.”
In January, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a landmark report warning exposure to sewage sludge containing PFAS could pose a risk to human health.
The study found biosolids contaminated with PFAS have not contaminated the general food supply. But the agency did find human health risks connected to PFAS exposure when treated sewage sludge — known as biosolids — was disposed in landfills, incinerated, or applied to farms or range lands.
In some cases, the EPA assessment found concentrations of the chemicals exceeded regulatory thresholds "by several orders of magnitude.”
Speaking from a fire hall in Montreal Wednesday, Guilbeault said it was not clear how environmental rollbacks carried out under U.S. President Donald Trump would impact shared waterways between the two countries.
Phase out will take years, could include exemptions
The report leaned on evidence that shows concentrations of PFAS can magnify as they move up through food chains. It also recognizes a current “impossibility” when it comes to removing the chemicals from the environment.
The ministry’s plan looks to phase out the chemicals through a risk management approach under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act that would reduce exposure to PFAS over time by limiting their use.
Phase 1 of the proposed regulatory process would eliminate the use of PFAS in firefighting foams by 2027.
That year, Phase 2 would begin with a consultation process that would aim to eliminate the use of the chemical in a number of consumer goods — including food packaging, cosmetics, drugs, paints, cleaning products, textiles and ski waxes.
Phase 3 of the plan does not yet have a timeline, but would target fluorinated gas, prescription drugs, medical devices, as well as industrial and transport applications of PFAS — all cases where it’s more difficult to find alternatives.
The properties of PFAS chemicals have also made them extremely popular for commercial and industrial applications. They repel oil and water, have high resistance to degradation and low surface tension — all properties that make them good surfactants, lubricants, and repellants for dirt, water and grease.
In many circumstances, it’s not clear how widespread the use of PFAS are. Speaking on background, a senior government official said the government is still trying to understand how common the chemicals are in natural resource industries like mining, and oil and gas.
All steps of the phase-out would include consultation with industry and would come with a cost-benefit analysis to business. In some cases, there could be exemptions, a senior government official confirmed.
New regulatory deadlines make no immediate changes
Federal officials said the latest measures do not make any immediate changes to the regulation of PFAS in Canada, though some interim measures are already in place.
Health Canada currently sets a drinking water objective limiting 25 PFAS concentrations to 30 nanograms per litre. In 2024, the Canadian Food and Inspection Agency set an interim standard of 50 parts per billion limit on PFAS in imported biosolids sold as commercial fertilizer.
“The standard applies to all domestic and imported biosolids intended for use as commercial fertilizers,” said a spokesperson in an email.
And in a Canadian first, the B.C. government filed a class-action lawsuit against manufacturers of PFAS in 2023, alleging they were involved in the widespread contamination of drinking-water systems.
On Wednesday, the federal government said it added 163 PFAS substances to Canada’s National Pollutant Release Inventory — a monitoring tool that requires firms to report what substances they are using and perhaps releasing into the environment.
Outside of Canada, some jurisdictions have recently moved to regulate the potential application of PFAS on agricultural land. In 2022, Maine was the first U.S. state to ban the application of biosolids on farmer fields. A year later, five European countries — Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Norway — called for a major restriction on PFAS across the European Union.
There are an estimated 15,000 PFAS substances currently on the market. Many are found in pesticides. A senior government official said pesticides containing PFAS will not be part of the phase out and instead will be regulated by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA).
Another sub-group of PFAS known as fluoropolymers was not considered in the report released Wednesday. They will be analyzed separately because they could present significantly different levels of exposure and hazards to people and the environment, according to the report.
One senior government official said the class of “forever chemicals” remain a concern and that the government would prioritize further investigation into their harmful effects.
