A dangerous group of chemicals has been seeping into our rivers and waterways and into our drinking water catchments. PFAS chemicals, known as ‘forever chemicals’ because they don’t break down in the environment, have recently been discovered in at least six waterways that feed into Sydney’s drinking water catchment, and in other parts of NSW including the Belubula River in the state’s central west. Alarmingly high levels of PFAS have even been detected in the bodies of dead platypus.

But Australia is lagging behind other countries when it comes to dealing with PFAS.

The US has set its drinking water limits for two PFAS chemicals (PFOS and PFOA) to just 4 parts per trillion (ppt) after multiple studies have linked PFAS to cancer, hormone disruption, liver issues, and thyroid problems. Yet in Australia the limit is 70 ppt for PFOS and 560 ppt for PFOA - that means Australia’s guidelines for these dangerous chemicals are up to 140 times higher than what the US permits!

What are we calling for?

• Undertake regular independent testing of the drinking water provided by all NSW water utilities and publicly report the results
• Fast track the current review of Australia’s Drinking Water Guidelines so it reports by the end of 2024, given that the US Environmental Protection Agency has found there is no safe level of PFOS and PFOA
• Adopt the precautionary principle, and commit to urgently installing filtration systems to reduce PFAS levels to as low as possible.