Canada's reckoning with 'forever chemicals': The battle to curb PFAS contamination

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, have long lurked in the background of modern life—lining non-stick pans, resisting stains in fabrics, and shielding fast food from grease. Yet, their convenience conceals a perilous reality. Dubbed ‘forever chemicals’ for their near-indestructible nature, PFAS have infiltrated water supplies, wildlife, and human bodies with unsettling persistence. Now, in an effort to curb their impact, Canada is taking action.

A newly released government report lays bare the scale of the problem. The State of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Report, published in March 2025, delivers a stark verdict: the class of PFAS, excluding fluoropolymers, is harmful to human health and the environment. Among the most pressing concerns is the contamination of drinking water and wastewater across Canada. These chemicals, which have been used for decades in industrial and consumer products, have seeped into municipal water supplies, agricultural lands, and groundwater reservoirs, posing a direct threat to human health.

The growing crisis in drinking water

The report highlights the alarming presence of PFAS in Canadian drinking water, with monitoring programs detecting these substances in public water systems, private wells, and even bottled water. Due to their high solubility, PFAS travel easily through groundwater and surface water, making them nearly impossible to contain. Studies have found PFAS concentrations in urban and rural water sources alike, with certain communities—particularly those near military bases, airports, and industrial sites—facing disproportionately high levels of exposure.

While Canada has yet to impose nationwide limits on PFAS levels in drinking water, the United States has moved to regulate the chemicals more aggressively, setting stringent limits for PFOA and PFOS in public water supplies. The European Union is also considering broad restrictions. Without similar action, Canadian communities will continue to be at risk, relying on municipal water treatment systems that may not be equipped to filter out these contaminants effectively.

One of the greatest challenges with PFAS contamination is their resistance to conventional water treatment methods. Unlike bacteria or organic pollutants, PFAS do not break down easily and are not effectively removed through standard filtration or chlorination processes. This means that once PFAS enter a drinking water supply, they persist for years, accumulating in human bodies through repeated exposure. Recent biomonitoring data has confirmed that Canadians are already carrying measurable levels of PFAS in their blood, a reflection of the widespread presence of these chemicals in tap water and household products.

Wastewater treatment and environmental contamination

The problem extends beyond drinking water. Wastewater treatment plants, designed to remove organic waste and pathogens, are not equipped to filter out PFAS, leading to their continuous discharge into rivers, lakes, and oceans. This creates a dangerous cycle: industrial facilities, landfills, and consumer waste release PFAS into water sources, municipal wastewater plants process contaminated water, and the treated effluent—still containing PFAS—flows back into the environment, further contaminating water supplies.

The report underscores that even where treatment plants attempt to remove PFAS, they often face significant limitations. Activated carbon filtration and reverse osmosis—two of the most effective methods for PFAS removal—are costly and generate hazardous waste that requires specialized disposal. Few municipalities have the financial resources to implement these technologies on a large scale, leaving many communities exposed to contaminated water.

Adding to the crisis, biosolids from wastewater treatment plants, often repurposed as agricultural fertilizer, can reintroduce PFAS into the environment. The report warns that PFAS accumulate in soil and can leach into crops and livestock, posing a risk to food safety. In provinces where biosolids are widely used, there is growing concern that farmland itself is becoming a long-term reservoir for PFAS pollution.

The need for regulatory action

Despite mounting evidence, Canada’s response to PFAS in drinking water and wastewater remains fragmented. The federal government has proposed new monitoring and reporting requirements for industries that use PFAS, but environmental groups argue that these measures do not go far enough. Without enforceable limits on PFAS discharges, wastewater treatment plants will continue to be overwhelmed by a problem they are not equipped to solve.

Some municipalities are taking matters into their own hands. In Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia, local governments have begun testing for PFAS more aggressively, with some issuing advisories to residents about potential risks. Meanwhile, advocacy groups are calling for the government to provide funding for advanced water treatment technologies and to impose strict limits on PFAS emissions at the source.

Internationally, governments are moving to ban entire classes of PFAS chemicals, recognizing that regulating individual compounds is insufficient given their similar chemical properties. Canada’s phased approach—starting with banning PFAS in firefighting foams and gradually expanding restrictions—may be too slow to prevent further contamination. With PFAS already widespread in Canadian drinking water and wastewater, the urgency of the situation cannot be overstated.

What lies ahead

For Canadians, the presence of PFAS in drinking water is not just an environmental issue but a public health crisis. The chemicals have been linked to an array of health problems, including cancer, liver damage, and developmental disorders in children. Without comprehensive action, exposure will continue to rise, and communities will bear the burden of increased healthcare costs and environmental degradation.

The government’s report marks an important step in acknowledging the crisis, but acknowledgement alone is not enough. Experts argue that Canada must follow the lead of other nations and implement legally binding limits on PFAS in drinking water while investing in technologies to clean up existing contamination. Without these measures, PFAS will continue to flow unchecked through the country’s water systems, reinforcing their reputation as ‘forever chemicals’—and ensuring their toxic legacy endures for generations to come.