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Category Archives: Chemicals of Mutual Concern

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances under Annex 3 of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement – Joint

On behalf of the 23 undersigned organizations, we are writing concerning work on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) under Annex 3 of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. We urge the U.S. and Canadian Governments to work together in developing a joint binational strategy to address these chemicals in the Great Lakes region.

As you know, under Annex 3 of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA), the Canadian and U.S. Governments (the Parties) have designated two individual PFAS and their isomers (perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, or PFOS) and one category (long-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids, or LC-PFCAs) as chemicals of mutual concern (CMCs).

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Time to clean the swimming pool but where to drain the water?

MEDIA RELEASE:  For Immediate Release – 14 May 2020

Time to clean the swimming pool but where to drain the water?

It’s that time of year when you are likely thinking about getting the pool or hot tub ready for the summer season.  It’s a good idea to prepare by first checking with your local town or city to find out what you should do with the water when you drain the pool.  “Beware, that releasing pool or hot tub water containing chlorine or salt directly into the street or a storm drain could bring a very heavy fineThat’s because those chemicals would then flow untreated into a local stream, river or lake and could result in a fish die-off or be very harmful to aquatic life”, said Linda Heron, Chair of the Ontario Rivers Alliance (ORA). Continue reading


NGO Comments on Draft Binational Screening Criteria for Nominated Chemicals of Mutual Concern – ORA Support

The government recommendation asks whether the current concentrations of the chemical “exceed” the benchmarks or guidelines. This implies that we are okay until the benchmarks or guidelines are exceeded. This is not true. Health impacts don’t suddenly start to occur when you cross that narrow threshold of meeting the threshold and move into exceeding. We are already in trouble once we are near or have met the benchmarks or guidelines.

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