The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has released draft guidance on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) which are more commonly known as forever chemicals.
The draft is part of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and the NHMRC is seeking public submissions until 22 November, 2024.
These human-made chemicals have been found in drinking water and food and
they are used to make products resistant to heat, stains, grease, and water.
Refrigerants are a major source of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a type of PFAS, but it is not covered in the guidelines.
The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines are part of the National Water Quality Management Strategy and provide a reference for Australians on the water regulators and suppliers in each state and territory.
The guidelines also offer advice on what defines safe, good quality drinking water, how it can be achieved, and how it can be assured.
NHMRC CEO Professor Steve Wesselingh said public consultation is consistent with the NHMRC’s commitment to ensure that the latest evidence and international advice is applied to the national guidelines.
“NHMRC suggests that water suppliers regularly share information with the community on the current risks from PFAS in their catchment and the findings from background testing,” he said.
The NHMRC will be reviewing a number of PFAS chemicals including: PFOS, PFHxS, PFOA and PFBS. Gen X chemicals would also be granted a guideline level.
Moreover, the new guidelines will take into account recent developments in the United States where the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued national drinking water standards for PFAS.
The EPA added five PFAS chemicals to the pass/failure requirements in the NSF/ANSI 61 standard.
Under the proposed guidelines here Australia would reduce their PFOS guideline in drinking water from 70ng/L to 4ng/L, PFHxS from 70ng/L to 30ng/L and PFOA from 560ng/L to 200ng/L. PFBS has been proposed to have a guideline of 1000ng/L.
Just last month Melbourne Water published a new PFAS page on their web site showing that the organisation is monitoring PFAS.
UNSW engineering professor, Denis O’Carroll, said Australia is underestimating the future impact of PFAS.
A UNSW-led international study assessed the levels of PFAS contamination in surface and ground water around the globe and found PFAS levels exceeded safe drinking limits.
The research team pulled together PFAS measurements from sources around the world, including government reports, databases, and peer-reviewed literature. Altogether, they collated more than 45,000 data points, which span over roughly 20 years.
It’s the first study to quantify the environmental burden of PFAS on a global scale.
O’Carroll and his team are now trying to develop their research by quantifying the levels of PFAS from commercial products in the environment.
These studies will be in progress over the next two years and aim to be completed by 2026.