Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
"These chemicals don't get bound up by soils and in the bottom of lakes and oceans. They stay in the water. That means they circulate around, and it also means that these chemicals get into our drinking water," Diamond told CTVNews.ca in an interview earlier this year. The federal government is looking into how to regulate the chemicals, considering an approach of putting PFAS into new classes, different from the individual classification now.
The Canadian government released a report detailing the risks of PFAS exposure and potential management options. This report, which advocates for the regulation of the thousands of PFAS as a whole, will directly influence future regulations and policies surrounding their production and use. This contrasts to previous policy initiatives that targeted PFAS individually.
Drinking water from nearly half of U.S. faucets likely contains “forever chemicals” that may cause cancer and other health problems, according to a government study released Wednesday. The synthetic compounds known collectively as PFAS are contaminating drinking water to varying extents in large cities and small towns — and in private wells and public systems, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Local news coverage of the opening has been sparse, mostly touting that the plant will bring economic benefits, including up to 35 new jobs to a town with an unemployment rate more than double the national average. Less has been said publicly about the company’s plans to manufacture — or perhaps just use, depending which Industrial Plastics employee is speaking — polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a Teflon-like product that falls into a larger group of chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Canada recently took its first bold step to regulate the production and use of a large group of chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a family of environmentally persistent and toxic chemical compounds. These chemicals are found in food packaging, waterproof cosmetics, non-stick pans, stain- and water-resistant fabrics and carpeting, cleaning products, paints and fire-fighting foams. The Canadian government released a report detailing the risks of PFAS exposure and potential management options. This report, which advocates for the regulation of the thousands of PFAS as a whole, will directly influence future regulations and policies surrounding their production and use. This contrasts to previous policy initiatives that targeted PFAS individually.
The treatment was designed by researchers at the University of British Columbia, and it utilizes a silica-based material that can absorb up to 99 percent of the forever chemicals found in water. The PFAS are then removed from the material, which can be used again to remove even more toxins. The potential here is exceptional, allowing us to remove these dangerous chemicals from water completely.
Toxic "forever chemicals" are being found in the blood of Canadians — and even higher levels are being found in northern Indigenous communities — says a new report from the government of Canada. Health Canada and Environment Canada have released a draft assessment of the science on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Both departments propose listing the human-made chemicals as toxic under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA). Canadians have until mid-July to weigh in on the proposed change.
Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks confirmed that perfluorooctane sulfonate is still leaching from the Hamilton International Airport above the threshold numbers. Gary Wheeler, spokesperson for the ministry, stated in a series of email responses to questions that PFOS, a synthetic chemical part of a class called PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) that the “contamination continues to migrate” from the airport “at levels above the agreed upon threshold.”
So-called “forever” chemicals are being consumed by people on a daily basis from a variety of ordinary materials, revealed a new report. In a study published in Environmental Science and Technology, researchers from the University of Toronto, Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame examined 42 different types of food packaging samples and found the presence of pre-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals” in 55 per cent of the samples taken.
UBC researchers have developed a treatment to remove hazardous ‘forever chemicals’ from our environment. Professor Madjid Mohseni has been at the forefront of the research effort, working with his colleagues in Quebec where polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, have been detected in that province’s water sources. “In B.C. unfortunately, the data is lacking so we hope to start gathering that information to determine how widespread the problem is…we are at stage now to take what we have developed from the lab testing and test it out in field studies,” Mohseni said.
Engineers at the University of British Columbia have developed a new water treatment that removes “forever chemicals” from drinking water safely, efficiently – and for good. “Think Brita filter, but a thousand times better,” says UBC chemical and biological engineering professor Dr. Madjid Mohseni, who developed the technology. Forever chemicals, formally known as PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a large group of substances that make certain products non-stick or stain-resistant. There are more than 4,700 PFAS in use, mostly in raingear, non-stick cookware, stain repellents and firefighting foam. Research links these chemicals to a wide range of health problems including hormonal disruption, cardiovascular disease, developmental delays and cancer.
The US government has proposed its first-ever restrictions on six harmful chemicals found in drinking water. Research has suggested over 200 million Americans likely drink water contaminated with PFAS chemicals, which have been linked to a host of health issues, including cancer. But up until now, the pollutants have only been regulated by some US states. The US on Tuesday issued a rule that would require communities to test and treat water for six of the chemicals.
The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to propose restrictions on harmful “forever chemicals” in drinking water after finding they are dangerous in amounts so small as to be undetectable. But experts say removing them will cost billions, a burden that will fall hardest on small communities with few resources. Concerned about the chemicals' ability to weaken children's immune systems, the EPA said last year that PFAS could cause harm at levels “much lower than previously understood.”
Synthetic chemicals called PFASTrusted Source (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are used in a variety of products, including cosmetics, cleaning productsTrusted Source, and nonstick cookware. Because many PFAS do not break down in landfills and can contaminate sources of drinking water for both humans and animals, they are considered harmful to the environmentTrusted Source. Additionally, exposure to PFAS has been linked to various health concerns.
A great deal more attention is being paid to polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) in City drinking water after it was revealed In 2017, testing on Lees Creek showed the waterway is polluted with PFAS from the airbase base located just upstream. "North Bay has undertaken a study to evaluate options for enhancing its water treatment process to meet potential future regulatory changes related to per- and polyfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS)," says a news release from the City today.
This research study discusses the impact of the pandemic on the water and wastewater industry in the United States and Canada, examining the measures being taken by utilities to deal with the same. It identifies the key trends emerging in the industry and the top utilities to watch out for. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of having up-to-date water and wastewater systems and infrastructures that can provide agile responses. Municipalities and industries across North America have begun adopting net-zero, decarbonization, and circularity goals to become sustainable, resilient, and future ready.
The "Canada and US Water and Wastewater Outlook, 2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering. This research study discusses the impact of the pandemic on the water and wastewater industry in the United States and Canada, examining the measures being taken by utilities to deal with the same. It identifies the key trends emerging in the industry and the top utilities to watch out for.
University of Waterloo is leading an interdisciplinary team to identify and treat per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) - better known as forever chemicals – in water systems affecting more than 2.5 million Canadians. The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) is providing the funding to detect, identify and treat PFAS-contaminated water, the university said in a media release.
A UBC expert on PFAS — also known as forever chemicals — has applied to do research on how much of the toxic substances lurk in B.C.’s drinking water. Exposure to the chemicals, which are widely used in rain gear and non-stick cookware, have been shown to have a wide range of health impacts, including immune suppression, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, said Rachel Scholes, an assistant professor in UBC’s department of civil engineering.
n the wake of news from south of the border that could eventually affect drinking water standards and their regulation in Canada, the City of North Bay is sharing its preliminary findings on the potential local impact. On June 15, the U.S.-based Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released new advisories regarding some per- and polyfluororalkyl substances (PFAS), which significantly reduces the safe level of these microscopic chemicals in drinking water from the previous standard.
