‘Forever chemicals’ ban criticised as NSW community airs its long-held contamination concerns
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Cost of fixing PFAS pollution should be borne by manufacturers and polluters, not governments and consumers, expert will tell Senate inquiry. A water quality expert has called on the Australian government to expand a planned ban of certain PFAS as a Senate committee heard concerns from a New South Wales community affected by chemical contamination.
![[Senator Lidia Thorpe looks at a warning sign at Mary Creek in Jervis Bay, where PFAS were detected]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ba42307c36c0593bc1adbe433c238e5552959fc4/0_0_2048_1365/master/2048.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), a group of several thousand synthetic compounds, are found in a wide variety of products including waterproof fabrics, food packaging, hygiene products and firefighting foam. They are sometimes referred to as “forever chemicals” because they are slow to break down and persist in the environment for extended periods.
In recommendations set to be tabled at a Senate inquiry into PFAS on Wednesday morning, Prof Stuart Khan, the head of the School of Civil Engineering at the University of Sydney, called for a “far-reaching ban for PFAS used in products made inside and outside Australia”.
The impacts of many PFAS chemicals are not known, but certain compounds have been linked to adverse health effects, such as PFOA – a compound used to make Teflon – and PFOS, formerly the key ingredient in Scotchgard. A health study conducted by the Australian National University in three communities with known PFAS contamination, published in 2021, found a link between PFAS exposure and higher cholesterol levels.
