Addressing Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Canada: A Multifaceted Approach is Needed
Samson Abioye is a Ph.D. candidate at the Toronto Metropolitan University,
While the government has shown commitment to improving water quality by investing $1.8 billion to improve on-reserve water infrastructure, leading to a 45% reduction in long-term drinking water advisories, this effort has not addressed the removal of emerging water contaminants from drinking water and wastewater. Following the US EPA legally enforceable standards for PFAS in drinking water, there is a need for a more ambitious effort from the Canadian government to update our drinking water guidelines to include emerging contaminants even beyond PFAS and to consider legally enforceable standards across provinces and territories.
The growing concerns of emerging water contaminants require an urgent and comprehensive response in addressing them. Herein, we outline the challenges, advances, and proposed solutions in addressing contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in Canada. CECs include PFAS, pharmaceuticals, personal care products, hormones, and pesticides that are increasingly detected in water systems [1]. They have carcinogenic, mutagenic, teratogenic, and endocrine-disrupting effects when ingested [2–4]. The rapid introduction of new chemicals and suspected synergistic effects make identifying and evaluating CECs an overwhelming task, even as regulatory practices often lag behind technological and industrial advancements. For instance, the number of known endocrine-disrupting chemicals has grown from 66 to nearly 900 in recent years [5]. Currently, Canada's drinking water advisory indicators in Indigenous communities are limited to microbiological parameters, equipment issues, and aesthetic concerns [6,7], neglecting the rising challenge of CECs. While the government has invested $1.8 billion to improve on-reserve water infrastructure [8], leading to a 45% reduction in long-term drinking water advisories [9], this effort has not addressed the removal of CECs from drinking water and wastewater. To sufficiently achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 6 on clean water, our research suggests that Canada must expand its scope to include the growing list of CECs in drinking water standards. Investments should target the removal of persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic CECs from both drinking water and wastewater. Our work made references to lessons from other jurisdictions, such as North Carolina, where researchers expressed uncertainties in CECs management [10], and the giant stride made by the US EPA in currently defining legally enforceable standards for PFAS in drinking water [11]. Given the lesson learnt from other jurisdictions such as the EU [12–14], Australia [15], Minnesota [1], and the US EPA, several strategies were proposed to address the challenges of CECs in Canada.
Improving quantification methods: Highly sensitive biosensors and advanced chromatography techniques can enhance CEC detection and quantification in complex matrices.
Reducing CEC release at the source: Developing new industrial practices and remediation technologies to minimize the release of CECs into the environment.
Collaborative efforts: Establishing partnerships between government, industry, and academia to develop comprehensive databases, exchange information, investigate health risks, and set robust regulatory standards for CECs in water.
Mandating industry disclosure: Requiring industries to disclose the chemicals they use, with regulatory oversight and periodic wastewater sampling, to inform standard-setting.
Upgrading water treatment: Investing in the incorporation of newer technologies capable of removing CECs at water treatment plants, justified by comprehensive cost-benefit analyses.
The research suggests that a combination of these policy options would be most effective in comprehensively addressing CECs in Canada. This would involve setting robust regulatory standards, reducing CEC releases, and developing advanced water treatment technologies. Implementing these strategies would not only protect the environment and public health [aligning with SDGs 6 (safe water), 3 (ensuring healthy lives), and 14 (protecting aquatic lives)], but also improve workforce productivity and reduce strain on the healthcare system (aligning with SDG 8). In summary, collaborative efforts and investments to address CECs can result in a healthier workforce and improved national productivity. Based on the policy considerations and decision criteria analyzed in our work, implementing the following policy options in a phased manner, starting with research-driven initiatives to guide the development of comprehensive environmental regulations for CECs would be beneficial in CECs management.
Efforts to hasten research-oriented solutions for:
A. Setting legally enforceable regulatory standards for CECs in drinking water
B. Industry-led, government-assisted research to effectively pre-treat wastewater and reduce CEC pollution load by developing efficient strategies for CECs removal from water.
Expanding the scope of the transboundary water management to include CECs management and control.
In conclusion, we emphasize the urgent need for a multifaceted approach to address CECs in Canada. By taking proactive and collaborative measures, Canada can position itself as a global leader in managing emerging contaminants, safeguarding the health and well-being of its citizens and the natural environment.
Samson Abioye is a Ph.D. candidate at the Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada. His research on the removal of contaminants of emerging concern from water is supported by the prestigious Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship and the Geoffrey F. Bruce Fellowship. He graduated with a Master of Engineering and Public Policy degree from McMaster University, and with sponsorship from Global Affairs Canada and MasterCard Foundation. He holds a Bachelor of Technology in Chemical Engineering from Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Nigeria. For almost a decade, prior to the commencement of his Ph.D. studies, Samson worked as a petroleum production regulator with the Department of Petroleum Resources, Nigeria.
References
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