The 80 sites on this map are likely a vast undercount, because the chemicals have not been monitored and reported in a standardized way across Canada, though new requirements will strengthen tracking in the coming years.
As of June 1, 2026, facilities will be required to report quantities of PFAS that are released, disposed of or recycled.
In the meantime, this project offers a glimpse of known federal contaminated sites, most of them linked to the use or storage of a fire suppressant called aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF).
A 2018 research paper by Royal Military College chemical engineering professor Kela Weber estimated there could be as many as 152 airport and heliport sites in Canada contaminated with PFAS, possibly hundreds more, linked to fire suppressant.
That estimate doesn’t include other ways that PFAS can spread to the environment, through municipal wastewater; sewage sludge used as fertilizer; and discharge released by industries like petroleum refineries, paper mills, textile mills and plastics manufacturing.
Research has linked certain PFAS with a variety of potential health effects, including cancer, reduced vaccine response, reproductive issues, delays in child development, hormonal issues and increased cholesterol levels.
Quebec toxicologist Marc-André Verner said the latest science suggests there may be no safe level of exposure to PFAS.
At the same time, the chemicals are so pervasive that it doesn’t take living near a hotspot to be exposed. In fact, the vast majority of Canadians have forever chemicals in their blood. The main way many people are exposed to them is through food, especially fish, seafood and meat.
But if you live near a contaminated site, your drinking water could also be a significant source of exposure.
“If it’s in the underground water and you’re on a private well with the same underground water, then it becomes a concern for you, that’s for sure,” Verner said.
His advice is to find out what levels are in your drinking water, and to find out what local officials are doing to address the issue.
Health Canada advises anyone concerned to reach out to local authorities for advice.
A 1966 newspaper advertisement promotes Teflon non-stick cookware as a way to cook “the healthy way.” Another ad, from 1994, touts Teflon technology as a fabric protector. (Edmonton Journal/Newspapers.com and The Times-Transcript/Newspapers.com)
Since 2012, Canada has banned three types of PFAS, with some exceptions, out of the more than 15,000 that exist.
In 2025, the federal government signalled a move toward tighter restrictions, starting with the elimination of PFAS in firefighting foams in the coming years. Health Canada has advised “the lower the levels of exposure to PFAS, the lower the risk.”
There are also plans to label all forever chemicals as toxic, except for one group called fluoropolymers.
On the industry side, U.S.-based manufacturer 3M has announced that it will stop producing PFAS by the end of 2025, in the wake of a multi-billion-dollar settlement with U.S. public drinking water providers.
Chemical giant DuPont told CBC News the company is “currently pursuing alternatives to PFAS where possible.”
Given that PFAS can take hundreds or even thousands of years to degrade, there are concerns they will leave behind a toxic legacy as long as they are in circulation.
Senior Canadian government officials have stated as much, warning that forever chemicals are expected to increase in the broader environment and cannot reasonably be removed once they’ve spread.
