New Toxic Chemical Guidelines Impact Williamtown Residents

BY IAN CROUCH

Residents impacted by the chemical contamination at the Williamtown RAAF Base are calling for an apology from enHealth after Food Standards Australia and New Zealand lowered the recommended safe levels of PFOS and PFOA in drinking water.

The new standard brings Australia in line with the more conservative US recommended levels, which is what the community had been originally calling for.

The safe level of PFOS has been lowered from .5 to .07 micrograms per litre, while the PFOA level has been slashed from 5 to 0.56 micrograms.

Williamtown residents are again being told to avoid eating home-grown food using contaminated water.

Residents In The Williamtown Red Zone Face More Uncertainty Picture:newsofthearea.com

Meryl Swanson calls on Health Minister in wake of international PFOA and PFOS findings.

BY JARROD MELMETH

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.

Federal Member for Paterson Meryl Swanson. Photo Courtesy
of Facebook.

PFOS testing in Moors Drain at Williamtown RAAF Base

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The NSW Environmental Protection Authority responded to community concerns last month following complaints of visible foam residue surrounding the Williamtown RAAF Base.

New testing results have shown a mystery foam residue in Moors Drain near Nelson Bay Road   appears to have pulled the chemical perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) from the water into the foam, creating a higher concentration of the chemical.

The residue is likely to have been caused by the presence of a foaming agent such as a cleaning detergent.

EPA Regional Director Adam Gilligan says the levels found aren't indicative of PFOS levels in the surrounding environment and no action is necessary at this stage, despite the levels being more than 1280 times the safe level for drinking water in the United States.

"The levels within the foam residue are quite high however it is a very small amount that's concentrated within that foam residue and we're expecting that to dissipate back into the environment."

The defence department will continue to monitor the area and Mr Gilligan says work on strategies to reduce contaminates leaving the base in surface water will also continue.

"What we've found is that water in that vicinity had levels that we would expect within the investigation area of around two micrograms per litre. However the foam residue itself had quite high levels, around 90 micrograms per litre. We're satisfied these levels don't reflect the overall levels in the environment in the area."

Prime Minister Pledges Remediation Package for Williamtown

BY IAN CROUCH

 The Williamtown RAAF Base contamination crisis has become a key battleground for the federal election.

Less than TWO weeks after Labor committed to funding voluntary blood testing and a taskforce to investigate remediation options, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has this morning pledged a re-elected Coalition government will commit $55-million to a remediation package at Williamtown and the Oakey base in Queensland.

The package includes voluntary blood testing for residents in the red zone, and a study looking into the causes and health effects of the fire fighting foam contamination.

A dedicated community liaison officer would also be appointed as part of new mental health and counseling services for residents.

Malcolm Turnbull