The release of the Final screening assessment on Perfluorooctanoic Acid, its Salts, and its Precursors was announced in the Canada Gazette, Part I, on August 25, 2012.   

The final screening assessment proposes to conclude that PFOA, its salts and its precursors are entering the environment in concentrations or quantities or under conditions that pose a risk to the environment, and therefore, that they meet one or more of the criteria set out in section 64 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999. Under section 64, substances are considered harmful if they are entering or could enter the environment in quantities or concentrations or under conditions that:

• have or may have an immediate or long-term harmful effect on the environment or its biological diversity;
• constitute or may constitute a danger to the environment on which life depends; or
• constitute or may constitute a danger to human life or health in Canada.

For information on related actions, please refer to the “Final Ecological Screening Assessment Report on Long-Chain Perfluorocarboxylic Acids (PFCAs) Their Salts and Their Precursors.”

For complete information, please consult the Chemical Substances website.

Contact: Substances Management Information Line, 1-800-567-1999 (toll free in Canada), Fax 819-953-7155, substances@ec.gc.ca