Federal Member for Paterson Meryl Swanson is calling on the Health Minister Sussan Ley to explain the ramifications of the "draft risk profile" for PFOA adopted by United Nations group The Stockholm Convention's Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee.
The Stockholm Convention is a global treaty to protect human health and the environment from chemicals.
The "draft risk profile" states "PFOA, its salts and related compounds are persistent, bio accumulative and toxic to animals and humans" and that "PFOA and it's salts and related compounds are likely, as a result of their long-range environmental transport, to lead to adverse human health impacts."
Health Guidelines in Australia are that "there is currently no consistent evidence that exposure to PFOS and PFOA causes adverse human health effects."
Meryl Swanson says she wants to know whether these findings will have any effect on Australian Guidelines.
"I have written to the Health Minister to ask her to explain the ramifications of this advancement and the adoption of the draft risk profile from the United Nations and find out what that means for us here in Australia. Are we taking that into consideration when we're weighing up whats happening with Williamtown."
"We need to make sure that we are getting world class information on what is happening in terms of research across the globe so that we get the very best solutions."
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will be meeting with Williamtown residents today.
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| Federal Member for Paterson Meryl Swanson. Photo Courtesy of Facebook. |
