Per- & Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS, PFOA & PFOS)
‘Perfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) are synthetic chemicals, the most common being perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). PFAS are used in a wide variety of industrial and consumer products such as adhesives, cosmetics, cleaning products, and in specialized chemical applications, such as fire-fighting foams. PFAS are also used in water-, stain-, and oil-repellent coatings for fabrics and paper. (Health Canada, 2019)’
Visit our online library’s main webpage to find more resources on topics related to drinking water.
Public Health Ontario
Canadian Drinking Water Draft Objective
United States Environmental Protection Agency Proposed Regulation
- Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Proposed PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation *NEW*
Fact Sheets
- Aqueous Film-Forming Foam (AFFF)
- Basic Information on PFAS
- Drinking Water Health Advisories for PFAS: Fact Sheet for Communities
- Drinking Water Health Advisories for PFAS: Fact Sheet for Public Water Systems
- Environmental Fate and Transport for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances
- History and Use of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
- Naming Conventions and Physical and Chemical Properties of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances
- Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in Canadians
- Perfluoroalkylated Substances (PFAS): North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit
- Perfluorinated chemicals in water
- PFAS Fact Sheets and Excel files for download
- PFAS in Water Systems: A Canadian Perspective
- PFAS/PFOS in Drinking Water: Per- and Polyfluoroalkylated Substances
- Questions and Answers: Drinking Water Health Advisories for PFOA, PFOS, GenX Chemicals and PFBS
- Technical Fact Sheet: Drinking Water Health Advisories for Four PFAS (PFOA, PFOS, GenX chemicals, and PFBS)
- Technologies for Reducing PFAS in Drinking Water fact sheet
- Water Talk – Perfluoroalkylated substances in drinking water
Guides
- Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality: Guideline Technical Document – Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA)
- Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality: Guideline Technical Document – Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS)
- Our Current Understanding of the Human Health and Environmental Risks of PFAS
- Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) in Drinking Water
- Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) in Drinking Water
- Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS) Drinking Water Health Advisory
- Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) Drinking Water Health Advisory
- PFAS Explained: Meaningful and Achievable Steps You Can Take to Reduce Your Risk
- PFAS Innovative Treatment Team – Research Briefs
- PFAS – Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Guidance Document
- PFAS Strategic Roadmap: EPA’s Commitments to Action 2021-2024
- Research on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)
- Talking to Customers and Communities About PFAS
- Technologies for Reducing PFAS in Drinking Water
Tools
- Drinking Water Treatability Database:
- PFAS Analytic Tools *NEW*
- PFAS Data and Tools
- PFAS Thermal Treatment Database
- CompTox Chemicals Dashboard
- ChemView
PFAS Training Module Videos
- PFAS Introduction
- PFAS Naming Conventions and Physical and Chemical Properties
- PFAS Physical & Chemical Properties
- PFAS Production, Uses, Sources and Site Characterization
- PFAS Sampling and Analysis
- PFAS Treatment Technologies
- PFAS Risk Communication
- PFAS Aqueous Film-Forming Foam
- PFAS Human and Ecological Effects
- PFAS Fate and Transport
- PFAS Risk Assessment and Regulations
Press Releases
- UBC engineers find permanent solution for removing ‘forever chemicals’ from drinking water *NEW*
- European Chemicals Agency publishes PFAS restriction proposal *NEW*
- Press Releases Related to PFAS
Sampling & Analysis
- Determination of Selected Perfluorinated Alkyl Acids in Drinking Water by Solid Phase Extraction and Liquid Chromatography/Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS/MS)
- EPA PFAS Drinking Water Laboratory Methods
- Clean Water Act Analytical Methods for Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances (PFAS)
- PFAS Analytical Methods Development and Sampling Research
- PFAS methods and guidance for sampling and analyzing water and other environmental media (Technical Brief)
Source Protection
- Aqueous film-forming foam and the Prohibition of Certain Toxic Substances Regulations
- Canadian Environmental Protection Act: virtual elimination
- Ecological screening assessment report on perfluorooctane sulfonate, salts and precursors
- Perfluoroalkyl substances: Lake Simcoe Conservation Authority
- Perfluorooctane sulfonate in fish and water
- Perfluorooctane sulfonate in the environment
- Persistent organic pollutants: Stockholm Convention
- Risk management strategy for perfluorooctane sulfonate and its salts and precursors
- The new POPs under the Stockholm Convention
- Understanding PFAS in the Environment
Webinars
- EPA and NEHA Webinar: PFAS Research
- Methods and Guidance for Sampling and Analyzing for PFAS in Environmental Media Webinar
- New Drinking Water Health Advisories for PFAS Chemicals
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) Small Systems Webinar
More Resources
View these similar posts on the WCWC online library for more information.
Case Studies in Chemical Contamination Course Resources
Emerging Issues: Cyanobacterial Toxins, Disinfection By-Products and Pathogens Course Resources
USEPA Water Research Webinar Series
Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality
Disponible en français.
Read MorePFAS In Water Systems: A Canadian Perspective
The Walkerton Clean Water Centre (WCWC) has added a new fact sheet and resources on perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water systems to its Drinking Water Resource Library.
PFAS are a large group of synthetic compounds that are often referred to as “forever chemicals”. They are used in a wide variety of industrial and consumer products, such as adhesives, cleaning products, cosmetics and specialized chemical applications, such as fire-fighting foams. This group of chemicals is resistant to heat, water, oils and grease, making them highly persistent in the environment and able to accumulate in living tissues, taking several years to decades for the body to eliminate. Due to their persistent nature, the chemicals can enter drinking water wells by leaching into groundwater.
The full fact sheet and related resources can be accessed free of charge through the Drinking Water Resource Library, at:
- https://wcwc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/PFAS-Fact-Sheet-2021-02-23-FINAL-ENG.pdf
- https://wcwc.ca/per-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas-pfoa-pfos/
WCWC creates fact sheets to share information with water professionals. For more information, or to request topics for future fact sheets, please visit wcwc.ca or contact us at 866-515-0550 or dwrl@wcwc.ca.
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