A physicians’ call for urgent federal action on PFAS and plastics

CAPE identifies a public health crisis linked to plastics and PFAS, noting that 98.5% of Canadians have detectable PFAS in their blood. The document highlights severe health risks including cancer and endocrine disruption, emphasizes the disproportionate burden on vulnerable populations and communities like Sarnia's Chemical Valley, and urges the Canadian federal government to phase out non-essential PFAS and stop fossil fuel subsidies.

• Plastic pollution is described as a public health crisis linked to various severe health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, immune dysfunction, reproductive disorders, endocrine disruption, developmental impacts, and rising cancer rates.
• PFAS, known as "forever chemicals," are found in the blood of 98.5% of the Canadian population and are associated with liver and kidney damage, high cholesterol, immune suppression, reproductive harms, and cancer.
• Microplastics, derived from fossil fuel petrochemicals, act as vectors for toxins by carrying PFAS added during production or absorbing them from the environment, infiltrating human organs such as the liver, lungs, blood, and placenta.
• Plastic pollution has significant climate and economic implications; if plastic were a country, it would be the fifth-largest greenhouse gas emitter, and by 2040 it could consume 19% of the global carbon budget. A 2023 UN report estimates the annual global cost of treating plastics-related pollution and illnesses at up to USD $600 billion.
• The health burden of plastics falls disproportionately on vulnerable groups, including women, racialized populations, children, and Indigenous communities, with specific mention of unacceptable toxic loads in Sarnia's Chemical Valley, Ontario.
• CAPE demands that the Canadian federal government phase out non-essential PFAS, regulate toxic plastic additives under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), end fossil fuel subsidies, and increase investment in health impact research and monitoring.

APA

Kurdi, L. (2025). A physicians’ call for urgent federal action on PFAS and plastics. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. https://cape.ca/protecting-our-health-from-plastic-pollution-and-toxic-chemicals/

Chicago

Kurdi, Loujain. A physicians’ call for urgent federal action on PFAS and plastics. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, 2025. https://cape.ca/protecting-our-health-from-plastic-pollution-and-toxic-chemicals/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Kurdi |first1=Loujain |title=A physicians’ call for urgent federal action on PFAS and plastics |publisher=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |date=29 September 2025 |url=https://cape.ca/protecting-our-health-from-plastic-pollution-and-toxic-chemicals/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{kurdi2025physicians, author = {Kurdi, Loujain}, title = {{A physicians’ call for urgent federal action on PFAS and plastics}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2025}, month = sep, url = {https://cape.ca/protecting-our-health-from-plastic-pollution-and-toxic-chemicals/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }