Revealed: The icky reason behind build-up of forever chemicals in Sydney catchment
Sewage treatment plant outfalls are discharging dangerous forever chemicals into creeks and rivers in Sydney's drinking water catchment, a new study has found, and the pollution is occurring without oversight from the environmental watchdog.
The study by researchers at Western Sydney University points to treated effluent as a significant contributor of PFAS contamination in rivers such as the Wingecarribee, Wollondilly and Coxs River that feed Warragamba Dam.
Lead author and PhD candidate Katherine Warwick said this study was the first to establish PFAS was present in sewage outfalls, since the NSW Environment Protection Authority did not require plant operators to test for the toxic chemicals.
'These contaminants are being discharged without anyone knowing about it, without authorisation, essentially,' she said.
Professor Ian Wright, Warwick's supervisor and co-author, said the levels were modest – not like Medlow Bath where the dam had to be excluded from the Blue Mountains drinking water supply – and the risk to human health was minimal.
Sydney Water is testing drinking water for PFAS and publishing its results, a move Wright credited to this masthead's reporting. Based on the testing, Wright said: 'Dilution is winning here and the levels in Sydney's main water supply are low'.
Wright said he was concerned about the fact that the Wingecarribee and Wollondilly Rivers were agricultural areas and the contaminated water was used to irrigate crops and drank by livestock.
The main risk was environmental, he said, because the carcinogenic chemicals released into the waterways accumulated in the bodies of wildlife, especially predators such as platypuses.
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The Advertiser
6 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Manufacturer 3M on notice for 'silent' but toxic PFAS
A set of "dangerous and insidious" chemicals detected at a river near a World Heritage site have been traced back to a former quarry used by manufacturing giant 3M. PFAS soil, sediment, groundwater and surface water have been found across a 100-hectare area of the inactive Brogans Creek lime quarry northwest of the Blue Mountains, the NSW Environment Protection Authority says. The environment authority has for the first time issued a notice and taken regulatory action against 3M and its local Australian arm. The quarry, in the state's central west, was historically used by 3M to test PFAS-containing firefighting foam. While "the scale of the onsite contamination is significant", there is limited human exposure because of the remoteness of the site, the environment regulator said. However, it found some of the chemicals eight kilometres downstream in the Capertee River within a national park. The levels found were above the national drinking guidelines. Ian Wright, an environmental science professor at Western Sydney University, said more data needs to be gathered about the "dangerous and insidious" chemicals. "The Capertee River is just upstream of the Blue Mountains World Heritage area so it has extremely high biodiversity values," he told AAP. "Because these chemicals build and build ... it's a silent burden that humans and animals are carrying around ... that could have very poor health outcomes." PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of 15,000 highly toxic, synthetic chemicals used for their resistance to heat, stains and grease. They have been dubbed "forever chemicals" because they break down extremely slowly. Emerging evidence has linked some PFAS to cancer, leading to tighter regulation of the substances, particularly in drinking water. Even though the environment authority commended 3M for its co-operation, it said this is only the first step in what is likely a complex and lengthy remediation process to follow. Dr Wright warned this could be the beginning of a protracted legal battle to ascertain whether 3M or the local council ends up cleaning up the chemicals. "It's probably contaminated forever ... once the contamination is there, it's there for multiple lifetimes," he said. High-level contamination was detected in the drinking water catchment serving 30,000 people in the Blue Mountains in mid-2024. An eight-month WaterNSW investigation released earlier in May found contamination of two dams used for Blue Mountains drinking water may have occurred after separate motor vehicle accident sites on the Great Western Highway in 1992 and 2002 near the Medlow Bath township. The town's fire station was also a possible source of contamination. Test samples at all three sites revealed the chemical compound signature consistent with the historical use of PFAS-containing fire-fighting foam, banned nationwide in 2007. Under the authority's clean-up notice, 3M Australia has 60 days to submit a detailed plan to manage PFAS pollution. "This is a significant moment for the EPA and one that represents an important milestone in our efforts to address legacy environmental harm," the authority's operations director David Gathercole said. "Though this is only the first step ... 3M has so far been co-operative voluntarily offering to conduct investigation to better understand the extent and legacy of PFAS contamination." The company has been contacted for comment. A set of "dangerous and insidious" chemicals detected at a river near a World Heritage site have been traced back to a former quarry used by manufacturing giant 3M. PFAS soil, sediment, groundwater and surface water have been found across a 100-hectare area of the inactive Brogans Creek lime quarry northwest of the Blue Mountains, the NSW Environment Protection Authority says. The environment authority has for the first time issued a notice and taken regulatory action against 3M and its local Australian arm. The quarry, in the state's central west, was historically used by 3M to test PFAS-containing firefighting foam. While "the scale of the onsite contamination is significant", there is limited human exposure because of the remoteness of the site, the environment regulator said. However, it found some of the chemicals eight kilometres downstream in the Capertee River within a national park. The levels found were above the national drinking guidelines. Ian Wright, an environmental science professor at Western Sydney University, said more data needs to be gathered about the "dangerous and insidious" chemicals. "The Capertee River is just upstream of the Blue Mountains World Heritage area so it has extremely high biodiversity values," he told AAP. "Because these chemicals build and build ... it's a silent burden that humans and animals are carrying around ... that could have very poor health outcomes." PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of 15,000 highly toxic, synthetic chemicals used for their resistance to heat, stains and grease. They have been dubbed "forever chemicals" because they break down extremely slowly. Emerging evidence has linked some PFAS to cancer, leading to tighter regulation of the substances, particularly in drinking water. Even though the environment authority commended 3M for its co-operation, it said this is only the first step in what is likely a complex and lengthy remediation process to follow. Dr Wright warned this could be the beginning of a protracted legal battle to ascertain whether 3M or the local council ends up cleaning up the chemicals. "It's probably contaminated forever ... once the contamination is there, it's there for multiple lifetimes," he said. High-level contamination was detected in the drinking water catchment serving 30,000 people in the Blue Mountains in mid-2024. An eight-month WaterNSW investigation released earlier in May found contamination of two dams used for Blue Mountains drinking water may have occurred after separate motor vehicle accident sites on the Great Western Highway in 1992 and 2002 near the Medlow Bath township. The town's fire station was also a possible source of contamination. Test samples at all three sites revealed the chemical compound signature consistent with the historical use of PFAS-containing fire-fighting foam, banned nationwide in 2007. Under the authority's clean-up notice, 3M Australia has 60 days to submit a detailed plan to manage PFAS pollution. "This is a significant moment for the EPA and one that represents an important milestone in our efforts to address legacy environmental harm," the authority's operations director David Gathercole said. "Though this is only the first step ... 3M has so far been co-operative voluntarily offering to conduct investigation to better understand the extent and legacy of PFAS contamination." The company has been contacted for comment. A set of "dangerous and insidious" chemicals detected at a river near a World Heritage site have been traced back to a former quarry used by manufacturing giant 3M. PFAS soil, sediment, groundwater and surface water have been found across a 100-hectare area of the inactive Brogans Creek lime quarry northwest of the Blue Mountains, the NSW Environment Protection Authority says. The environment authority has for the first time issued a notice and taken regulatory action against 3M and its local Australian arm. The quarry, in the state's central west, was historically used by 3M to test PFAS-containing firefighting foam. While "the scale of the onsite contamination is significant", there is limited human exposure because of the remoteness of the site, the environment regulator said. However, it found some of the chemicals eight kilometres downstream in the Capertee River within a national park. The levels found were above the national drinking guidelines. Ian Wright, an environmental science professor at Western Sydney University, said more data needs to be gathered about the "dangerous and insidious" chemicals. "The Capertee River is just upstream of the Blue Mountains World Heritage area so it has extremely high biodiversity values," he told AAP. "Because these chemicals build and build ... it's a silent burden that humans and animals are carrying around ... that could have very poor health outcomes." PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of 15,000 highly toxic, synthetic chemicals used for their resistance to heat, stains and grease. They have been dubbed "forever chemicals" because they break down extremely slowly. Emerging evidence has linked some PFAS to cancer, leading to tighter regulation of the substances, particularly in drinking water. Even though the environment authority commended 3M for its co-operation, it said this is only the first step in what is likely a complex and lengthy remediation process to follow. Dr Wright warned this could be the beginning of a protracted legal battle to ascertain whether 3M or the local council ends up cleaning up the chemicals. "It's probably contaminated forever ... once the contamination is there, it's there for multiple lifetimes," he said. High-level contamination was detected in the drinking water catchment serving 30,000 people in the Blue Mountains in mid-2024. An eight-month WaterNSW investigation released earlier in May found contamination of two dams used for Blue Mountains drinking water may have occurred after separate motor vehicle accident sites on the Great Western Highway in 1992 and 2002 near the Medlow Bath township. The town's fire station was also a possible source of contamination. Test samples at all three sites revealed the chemical compound signature consistent with the historical use of PFAS-containing fire-fighting foam, banned nationwide in 2007. Under the authority's clean-up notice, 3M Australia has 60 days to submit a detailed plan to manage PFAS pollution. "This is a significant moment for the EPA and one that represents an important milestone in our efforts to address legacy environmental harm," the authority's operations director David Gathercole said. "Though this is only the first step ... 3M has so far been co-operative voluntarily offering to conduct investigation to better understand the extent and legacy of PFAS contamination." The company has been contacted for comment. A set of "dangerous and insidious" chemicals detected at a river near a World Heritage site have been traced back to a former quarry used by manufacturing giant 3M. PFAS soil, sediment, groundwater and surface water have been found across a 100-hectare area of the inactive Brogans Creek lime quarry northwest of the Blue Mountains, the NSW Environment Protection Authority says. The environment authority has for the first time issued a notice and taken regulatory action against 3M and its local Australian arm. The quarry, in the state's central west, was historically used by 3M to test PFAS-containing firefighting foam. While "the scale of the onsite contamination is significant", there is limited human exposure because of the remoteness of the site, the environment regulator said. However, it found some of the chemicals eight kilometres downstream in the Capertee River within a national park. The levels found were above the national drinking guidelines. Ian Wright, an environmental science professor at Western Sydney University, said more data needs to be gathered about the "dangerous and insidious" chemicals. "The Capertee River is just upstream of the Blue Mountains World Heritage area so it has extremely high biodiversity values," he told AAP. "Because these chemicals build and build ... it's a silent burden that humans and animals are carrying around ... that could have very poor health outcomes." PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of 15,000 highly toxic, synthetic chemicals used for their resistance to heat, stains and grease. They have been dubbed "forever chemicals" because they break down extremely slowly. Emerging evidence has linked some PFAS to cancer, leading to tighter regulation of the substances, particularly in drinking water. Even though the environment authority commended 3M for its co-operation, it said this is only the first step in what is likely a complex and lengthy remediation process to follow. Dr Wright warned this could be the beginning of a protracted legal battle to ascertain whether 3M or the local council ends up cleaning up the chemicals. "It's probably contaminated forever ... once the contamination is there, it's there for multiple lifetimes," he said. High-level contamination was detected in the drinking water catchment serving 30,000 people in the Blue Mountains in mid-2024. An eight-month WaterNSW investigation released earlier in May found contamination of two dams used for Blue Mountains drinking water may have occurred after separate motor vehicle accident sites on the Great Western Highway in 1992 and 2002 near the Medlow Bath township. The town's fire station was also a possible source of contamination. Test samples at all three sites revealed the chemical compound signature consistent with the historical use of PFAS-containing fire-fighting foam, banned nationwide in 2007. Under the authority's clean-up notice, 3M Australia has 60 days to submit a detailed plan to manage PFAS pollution. "This is a significant moment for the EPA and one that represents an important milestone in our efforts to address legacy environmental harm," the authority's operations director David Gathercole said. "Though this is only the first step ... 3M has so far been co-operative voluntarily offering to conduct investigation to better understand the extent and legacy of PFAS contamination." The company has been contacted for comment.
ABC News
11 hours ago
- ABC News
EPA takes 'milestone' action against PFAS company 3M Australia
The New South Wales environmental watchdog has taken "milestone" action against a global chemicals manufacturer after discovering PFAS chemicals at an old testing site in the Central West. The NSW Environment Protection Authority (NSW EPA) has issued a clean-up notice to 3M Australia after the forever chemicals were found in soil and water across the 100-hectare Brogans Creek Quarry, south-east of Mudgee. The inactive limestone site was historically leased by the subsidiary of the US-based company for testing firefighting foams containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances between 1980 and 2000. It is the first time the EPA has taken regulatory action against the Wall Street giant that began manufacturing the chemicals in the 1950s. The environmental regulator described the contamination as "significant" but said the quarry's remote setting meant there was "limited potential for human exposure". The World Health Organisation has determined PFOA as carcinogenic to humans, while it classified PFOS as potentially carcinogenic. Both types of PFAS are found in firefighting foams. The foams are widely considered to be the biggest contamination source of PFAS in Australia's environment, with high concentrations found at sites where they were formerly used, such as defence force bases. They were also recently identified as the most likely source of PFAS chemicals in the Blue Mountains' drinking water supply. The Aqueous Film Forming Foams (AFFF) have been slowly phased out of use in Australia since 2003 but were used for more than three decades since the 1970s. The NSW EPA has banned their use except for in "catastrophic" circumstances or for fires on a watercraft. According to the clean-up notice, the current owner of the contaminated Brogans Creek site, Graymont, alerted the EPA to the contamination in January 2022. The company's site investigation found PFAS was present at elevated concentrations in soil, surface water, sediment, concrete structures and groundwater beneath the site. It also found the substances at levels above safe drinking water guidelines about eight kilometres downstream in the upper reaches of the Capertee River, within the Capertee National Park. NSW National Parks and Wildlife has installed signage at the location, warning people not to use the water for drinking or cooking purposes. But it advised the water was safe for swimming. The EPA investigations concluded it had reason to believe the global chemicals maker was responsible for the contamination as it "tested large volume of AFFF on the land" for two decades. 3M Australia has been given 60 days to submit an investigation management plan or risk a maximum non-compliance penalty of $2 million. "Though this is only the first step in what will likely be a complex and lengthy remediation process, 3M Australia has so far been cooperative — voluntarily offering to conduct investigations to better understand the extent and nature of legacy PFAS contamination at the site," Mr Gathercole said. The chemicals are known to be pervasive in the environment and can take hundreds, if not thousands of years to break down. Due to their heat, water and oil resistance qualities, they are found in everyday products such as non-stick pans and microwave popcorn bags. A recent study by the Australian Bureau of Statistics found three types of PFAS could be found in the blood of 85 per cent of the population. In 2024, a US federal court approved a settlement that would result in 3M Company paying more than $US10 billion to assist America's public water suppliers remove the chemicals. The chemicals maker has announced it would stop manufacturing PFAS by the end of 2025. The ABC has contacted 3M for comment.
Canberra Times
13 hours ago
- Canberra Times
Manufacturer 3M warned over chemicals at quarry
"Though this is only the first step ... 3M has so far been co-operative voluntarily offering to conduct investigation to better understand the extent and legacy of PFAS contamination."
