Opinion: Restrictions on the harmful forever chemicals all around us are long overdue
We are witnessing the early stages of a public health emergency. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), aka 'forever chemicals,' are ubiquitous in our daily lives — and their severe, long-term health consequences could impact generations to come.
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This situation demands immediate and decisive action. Yet even now, plastics and chemical companies are working hard to weaken upcoming federal regulations. So, as physicians, we are sounding the alarm.
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PFAS chemicals can be found everywhere: in our cookware, clothing, cosmetics, furniture, pesticides and food packaging; and are accumulating in our water, soil and air. As a result, PFAS are now detectable in the blood of 98.5 per cent of people in Canada.
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The chemicals are linked to a growing list of serious health issues, including cancers, liver damage, cardiovascular disease, low infant birth weight, thyroid disease, immune system dysfunction, infertility, asthma and more. A recent study identified the first link between PFAS accumulation in the central nervous system and clinical and biological markers of Alzheimer's disease.
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Exposure and harm are highest among certain at-risk populations, making this an environmental justice issue. Babies, children and teenagers are at greatest risk from PFAS' endocrine-disrupting properties, which can permanently alter their developing bodies and brains. Young children also absorb more contaminants per body weight.
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Indigenous peoples in the North are exposed to especially high levels of PFAS. The chemicals bioaccumulate in the body tissues of living organisms, including the Arctic marine mammals that Inuit and Northern First Nations depend on for food. PFAS are also used in the process of 'fracking' for gas, impacting the mostly Indigenous, racialized and rural communities nearby.
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Why is PFAS so widespread, when there is an overwhelming scientific consensus about their dangers? The answer lies in an industry with too much influence on the government regulatory systems that should be protecting us.
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Industry has known about the harms of PFAS for decades, but hid their data from regulators and the public. While plastics and chemical companies have been making billions in profits from PFAS, the world has been incurring trillions in health and cleanup costs. These costs are estimated at up to $9 billion for Canada alone.
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We're in a make-or-break moment to change all of this. In 2021, the Canadian government finally committed to action on PFAS. The process is underway to list and regulate PFAS as a harmful class of chemicals under the updated Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). Yet even now, plastics and chemical companies are lobbying to weaken these upcoming regulations.
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