Can Canadians under chemical threat?
What experts say about water, air and food pollution.
Health Canada and Environment Canada have published a draft scientific evaluation of so-called per— and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) known as "forever chemicals". To put it simple, these are widely used chemicals whose components vanish very slowly.
Those departments propose listing human-made chemicals as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act.
Several years ago, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) described very serious health effects these substances cause. These include cancer, liver damage, reduced fertility, increased risk of asthma, and thyroid disease.
Recently these substances were found in the blood samples of Canadians, and even higher levels were found in blood tests of northern Indigenous communities. This is what prompted the ministries to move to drastic measures. Restricting such substances would therefore be the first step toward protecting Canadians, flora and fauna.
There are thousands of PFAS chemicals. They are found in many different consumer, commercial and industrial products, making it difficult to study and assess risks to human health and the environment.
However, it is already known that these substances were found in the test samples.
Studies have also shown that pregnant mothers can transmit these substances through the placenta. It turned out that infants can be put at risk through breast milk.
