Firies fearful over water contamination
Nov 29 2022: https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8001031/firies-fearful-over-water-contamination/
Firefighters exposed to contaminated drinking water at a Victorian airport have elevated levels of toxic chemicals in their blood, tests show.
Authorities are still trying to work out how PFAS chemicals got into drinking water at Avalon Airport’s fire station and air traffic control tower.
Airservices Australia, which operates fire and air traffic services at the site, last month revealed PFAS readings of 3080 and 5800 parts per trillion had been detected.
The safe drinking water standard is 70 parts per trillion.
The United Firefighters Union says blood tests ordered for 30 firefighters and two air-traffic controllers are now revealing the impacts for those workers.
“Every one I’ve seen so far is higher, considerably higher, than their previous tests and much higher also than the normal community background levels,” says Wes Garrett, the union’s aviation branch secretary.
“We’re not surprised. It confirms they have been drinking contaminated water. The question remains for how long. That’s still unclear.”
Man-made PFAS chemicals are often referred to as forever chemicals because they are very slow to break down and accumulate in human bodies.
They have been associated with a range of serious health issues and some of the worst types were in firefighting foams that are now banned but have left lasting contamination issues at airports and defence sites.
Mr Garrett says many affected firefighters were previously tested for PFAS, because it was a known risk for those in the profession.
“Some of them are up to 15 times higher now (than they were a year ago)”
One Avalon firefighter, who asked not to be named, has given AAP his blood test results.
Since his previous test last year, one particular PFAS chemical is up by more than 700 per cent.
“We’re no scientists, we’re just firies but the trends have all shown that anyone tested in 2021 was quite normal and now, in 2022, they’ve gone through the roof, they’ve really spiked,” he said.
The only known way to reduce PFAS levels at a relatively quick rate is for people to make repeated blood or plasma donations.
Of the relatively few well-studied PFAS, most are considered moderately to highly toxic.
Many governments worldwide now warn certain exposure levels may lead to increased cancer and other health risks from substances heavily used in consumer and industrial products since the 1940s.
The Australian government, in its new draft PFAS management plan, urges a precautionary approach focused on limiting exposure.
Firefighters are now back at work at Avalon Airport’s fire station, after the facility was deep cleaned, and taps and sinks replaced along with water pipes to exterior of the building.
“The drinking water taps are now PFAS-free, with clean, tank-supplied water. Regular monitoring is ongoing,” said Airservices Australia, which says it has never used PFAS firefighting foam at the leased airport site.
It says surface swab testing at the station has shown there is no risk to human health.
Site owner Avalon Airport has confirmed PFAS foams were historically used at the site.
AAP has asked for an update on its investigation into the cause of the drinking water contamination.
Australian Associated Press
PFAS firefighting chemical found in drinking water at Avalon Airport fire station
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-31/pfas-firefighting-chemical-in-drinking-water-at-avalon-airport/101595740
The fire station at Avalon Airport has been closed after unsafe levels of PFAS were found in the drinking water.
The union representing aviation firefighters said the firefighting chemical was also detected in the water supply at the air traffic tower south-west of Melbourne.
Airservices Australia, which operates firefighting and air traffic services at the airport, confirmed it had closed the fire station while a new water supply was set up and a deep clean was undertaken.
“Our highest priority is protecting the health and wellbeing of our teams,” a spokesperson said.
“Airservices’ 30 aviation rescue firefighters and two air traffic controllers stationed at Avalon have been offered expert health advice and free blood testing.”
Avalon Airport said drinking water inside the terminal had not been affected and flights were operating as usual.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has been notified of the fire station closure and told Fire Rescue Victoria crews will step in until the situation is resolved.
The Environment Protection Authority, Barwon Water and relevant Commonwealth departments have also been notified of the detection.
United Firefighters Union aviation branch secretary Wes Garrett said his members were very concerned about the news.
“Those levels were in excess of the drinking human health recommended threshold values,” Mr Garrett said.
A spokesperson for Airservices Australia said the threshold for safe levels for drinking water was 70 parts per trillion, and that levels detected in the tower and station were at 5,800 parts per trillion and 3,080 parts per trillion respectively.
Mr Garrett said the union was unaware how long the chemical had been in the water.
The source of the contamination is still unknown, with Airservices Australia saying it has never used firefighting foam containing PFAS at Avalon.
But Avalon Airport said it had been used in the past.
“As with many Commonwealth-leased airports, PFAS was historically used as part of aviation and defence activities which is a multi-decadal legacy of practice at Commonwealth Airports,” a spokesperson said.
“Since receiving this information, Avalon Airport has launched a full investigation into this matter.
“This is a new and emerging situation and we are responding as quickly as possible to investigate these findings and understand the facts to best manage an evolving situation.”
The United Firefighters Union said it was concerned about the ability of Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) to respond to an incident at the airport as crews did not have specialist aviation emergency training.
Firefighting chemical has long legacy in Victoria
PFAS chemicals are per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances that are manufactured for use in products that resist heat, oil, stains and water.
Countries such as New Zealand have banned PFAS chemicals because they can accumulate in the body and have been linked to a number of health concerns.
The Victorian government recently announced a $57 million redress scheme for firefighters who were exposed to PFAS at the former Fiskville training facility.
Work on the West Gate Tunnel project stopped in 2019 after PFAS was found in the soil, leading to massive cost blowouts and a dispute over who would pick up the bill for the disposal of the soil.
Avalon Airport – PFAS
https://www.theherald.com.au/story/5472591/dangers-on-doorstep90-sites-investigated-for-elevated-pfas-levels/