New PFAS report urges lawmakers to clean up sites to protect Great Lakes
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A new National Wildlife Federation report in the US is calling on lawmakers to step up water protection against contamination from the large group of toxic synthetic chemicals known as Perand Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, or PFAS.
The chemicals, have been in use since the 1950s in products like water, stain, or oil-repellent coatings and firefighting foams. The new report, "The Science and Policy of PFASs in the Great Lakes Region: A Roadmap for Local, State and Federal Action,” chronicles how elevated PFAS in wildlife can lead to developmental and reproductive problems and encourages lawmakers to invest in the modernization of wastewater and drinking water infrastructure to prevent contamination and fund the remediation of polluted sites.
At a spill site, PFAS are more likely to be transported in soil and groundwater, rather than be retained by soil particles, as would be the case with chemicals such as PCBs, the report states. This makes containment and cleanup more challenging.
Recognition of PFAS persistence in the environment and potential to impact human health led to new guidelines and Maximum Acceptable Concentration levels set by Health Canada in December 2018 for both PFOS (0.6 micrograms per litre) and PFOA (0.2 micrograms per litre). "Scientific information is limited on the majority of PFAS,” Health Canada states.
In December 2016, Canada put in place regulations banning the use, import, manufacture or sale of PFAS or products that contain them, but with a substantial list of exemptions, including products such as baby bibs and blankets, sportswear and outdoor clothing. In March 2016, CBC reported on PFAS in well water in Mississippi Mills, Ontario. The chemicals have also been found in and around a military base in North Bay in 2018. Access the report Here.
