Government of Canada announces new actions on PFAS

Steps to add PFAS as a full class of chemicals under Canada’s environmental laws and to further restrict their use in firefighting foams were announced March 5 at a Montreal firehall.

On March 5, at a press event held at a firehall in Montreal, Canadian officials announced significant regulatory steps to address per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often referred to as "forever chemicals." The government outlined its intention to classify PFAS as a single group of toxic substances under Canada’s environmental protection laws. This move would allow for more comprehensive regulation of the entire class of thousands of chemicals, rather than evaluating them individually. In addition, officials detailed plans to further restrict the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foams, which are a known source of environmental contamination. These actions reflect a broader effort to reduce human and environmental exposure to these persistent and potentially harmful substances.