THE guidelines for the amount of chemicals  – used in many consumer products and industrial applications – acceptable in drinking water are under review with Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) suggesting the levels be reduced.

An NHMRC fact sheet said historical use of firefighting foams had resulted in detection of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at a number of sites including airports, firefighting training facilities and federal government sites.

The issue of PFAS leaving Pearce air base and contaminating groundwater has been a serious concern for Bullsbrook residents since investigations into PFAS started in 2016.

PFAS have also been found in groundwater, surface water, sewage effluents and landfill leachates.

“The increased concentration of PFAS in biosolids from wastewater treatment processes is becoming a concern in the context of biosolid application in agriculture and the potential pathways to continued human and environmental PFAS exposure,’’ the fact sheet said.

PFAS are also used to make consumer products such as non-stick cookware, makeup, clothing and furniture.

UNSW Water Research Laboratory managing director Denis O’Carroll said PFAS were a class of more than 14,000 chemicals used in industrial applications and consumer products around the world and were a serious health concern.

Professor O’Carroll said the World Health Organization listed PFOA as a group 1 carcinogen and PFOS as a group 2B carcinogen.

“The Australian government should consider inclusion of a wider range of PFAS in the drinking water guidelines, as is common in a number of other countries,’’ he said.

The PFAS reviewed as part of NHMRC’s update include perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS), perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) and hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid and its ammonium salt (GenX chemicals).

The NHMRC has proposed updating their drinking water guidelines, suggesting an acceptable level of  200ng/L for PFOA (down from 560ng/L), 4ng/L for PFOS (down from 70ng/L), 30ng/L for PFHxS down from 70ng/L and 1000ng/L for PFBS, which currently has no health-based value in the guidelines.

NHMRC said no health-based guideline value could be obtained for hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid and its ammonium salt (GenX chemicals) at this time.

The NHMRC is inviting stakeholder feedback on draft guidance on PFAS as part of the Australian drinking water guidelines until November 22.

Visit the NHMRC consultation hub for more information.