Canada is preparing to enact a ban on a specific type of "forever chemicals" in much of its electrical equipment.
PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) will be illegal within light ballasts and certain transformers, effective at the start of 2026. Companies that have light ballasts containing PCBs after that date and aren't taking approved steps to remove them could face daily fines until they become compliant, HazMat reported.
This is just the latest step in a decades-long fight against the chemicals, which the Environmental Protection Agency warns can leach into the soil and water.
Canada first banned the manufacturing, sale, and import of PCBs in 1977. Eight years later, releasing these chemicals into the environment also became illegal. But it hasn't been until lately that the country has cracked down on using PCB equipment that was created before the original ban.
Some say the fuss over PCBs isn't necessary. Joe Schwarcz, the director of McGill University's Office of Science and Society in Montreal, argued these chemicals "are not the devil incarnate," and there is little to no chance that people will suffer any adverse effects because of stored PCBs.
Still, PCBs are a concern for many and have been the subject of banishment in more than just the Great White North. Production of PCBs was made illegal in the United States in 1979 and in the United Kingdom in 1981.
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Despite those bans, a 2024 study found that production of PCBs was likely at an all-time high. This is because they are byproducts of many other manufacturing processes, including some plastics and electrical equipment.
"Forever chemicals" are called that because they can take hundreds of years — if not longer — to break down. Found frequently in items like nonstick cookware and stain-free clothes, studies suggest these chemicals are in the blood of 97% of Americans.
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