Though you may not think about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (also known as PFAS or “forever chemicals”) every day, you likely encounter them that often. They’re composed of human-made chemical compounds that take centuries (or millenia) to decompose, and are used in products humans reach for daily—think cleaning products, cooking sprays, cosmetics, drugs, and textiles. They are also common in firefighting gear and suppressants.
PFAS seep into public drinking water and wells when products containing them are used or discarded in local ecosystems. Health Canada recommends below 30 nanograms (1 billionth of a gram) of PFAS per litre of water, but unless you live in a hotspot—many of which are near Canadian Air Force bases where airplanes are loaded to go water bomb forest fires—the concentration in your area’s water supply may not be common knowledge. The areas in Canada’s Federal Contaminated Sites Inventory are hardly an exhaustive count.
“We’re still finding out how pervasive PFAS are in Canadian drinking water,” says Johan Foster, an associate professor of chemical and biological engineering at the University of British Columbia. He notes that it doesn’t take much for water to be contaminated. “If you break a toothpick in half and throw one side into an olympic-sized swimming pool, that is the ratio of PFAS that would make that water unsafe to drink.”
Federal facilities will be obligated to report their PFAS used and discarded as of June 2026, but, generally speaking, there is no tracking required at the provincial level.
There is technology out there to minimize the impact of forever chemicals, and new methods emerging—such as the device Foster’s research group developed—to destroy the compounds all together. But until that is readily available to the public, there are some things you can do.
Test your water
The importance of the device Foster’s research group developed cannot be overstated. There are water treatment companies across the country that can detect the PFAS concentration in your water. From there, you can take informed action to make sure the water you drink is safe.
Check with your local health authority to learn how often you should be testing your water.
Don’t count out water filters, but know their limits
Testing from the Environmental Working Group found that some carbon pitcher filters can reduce PFAS levels by 66 per cent, which is definitely not all, but enough to make them worth using. There are also larger-scale filters that you can install on your property, such as activated carbon filters and reverse osmosis systems on your tap, or ion exchange systems.
However, Foster says, “when those filters go in the garbage and the PFAS get back into the ecosystem, it moves the problem somewhere else.” To avoid spreading these chemicals any further, some filters can be recycled through the manufacturer, and you can contact your local waste management authority to find out if there are options for safe disposal in your area.
Know what contains PFAS
Canada has prohibited manufacturing with three kinds of PFAS, and plans to restrict more. Still, forever chemicals are present in things we use every day. The federal government provides a non-exhaustive list of the most common uses of PFAS, and recently published a report on the state of PFAS in Canada. Most consumer products are not obligated to list ingredients on the label, but you can call the manufacturer if you are concerned about PFAS in that product.
Know who to call
If your area is not listed in the Contaminated Sites Inventory (hopefully, this is good news!) but you would like more information, we suggest turning to your local government official and health authority.
Many provinces have directories to help you find your public health unit, such as this one for Ontario.
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