Indoor Air Guidance and PFAS Water Objective

Summary#

Two notices from Health Canada under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 were published on February 11, 2023. One is a new guidance document on improving indoor air quality in office buildings, open for comment until April 10, 2023. The other proposes a drinking-water objective for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS): 30 ng/L for the sum of certain PFAS, open for comment until April 12, 2023.

What it does#

• Publishes the Guidance on Improving Indoor Air Quality in Office Buildings.

  • The document gives practical advice for preventing and fixing common indoor air quality (IAQ) problems in non-industrial office settings.
  • It is available for public comment from February 11, 2023 to April 10, 2023. Comments can be sent to air@hc-sc.gc.ca.

• Proposes an Objective for Canadian Drinking Water Quality — Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances.

  • Proposes an objective of 30 ng/L for the total (sum) of PFAS detected in drinking water, calculated using methods such as U.S. EPA Method 533 or 537.1 (or an approved alternative).
  • The proposal is intended to be an interim, group-based approach while drinking-water guidelines are reassessed.
  • The technical document is available for comment from February 11, 2023 to April 12, 2023. Comments can be sent to water-eau@hc-sc.gc.ca.
  • The notice discusses measurement methods, municipal treatment options (granular activated carbon, anion exchange, reverse osmosis), and residential treatment devices certified to NSF Standard 53 and NSF Standard 58 for some PFAS.

Who's affected#

• The IAQ guidance will mostly matter to:

  • Building operators and maintenance staff of office buildings.
  • Employers and facility managers responsible for workplace conditions.
  • Office occupants and workers who may notice air-quality problems (odours, mold, poor ventilation).
  • HVAC contractors and occupational-hygiene professionals who may be called in for investigations.

• The PFAS drinking-water proposal will mostly matter to:

  • Municipal water utilities and engineers who design and operate treatment systems.
  • Owners of private wells and households using point-of-use or point-of-entry treatment devices.
  • Companies that make or certify water-treatment systems and filters.
  • Provincial and territorial regulators and public-health officials involved in drinking-water standards.

Why it matters#

• The IAQ guidance gives clear, practical steps that can reduce odors, mold, airborne contaminants, and the spread of respiratory illnesses in offices. That can improve comfort, reduce sick time, and guide when to call specialists.

• The PFAS objective aims to reduce people’s exposure to a large group of persistent chemicals found in many products and in some water sources. If adopted, it could lead to increased monitoring of PFAS in drinking water and changes in treatment practice at municipal plants and for private wells. The notice also flags that measuring and removing PFAS can be technically challenging and create disposal issues for filter media and concentrates.

• Both items are consultations. They are not final rules yet. The PFAS objective is described as an interim, precautionary step while Health Canada reassesses existing guidelines.