Bayside Council will contact the Minister for Energy and Environment, Matt Kean seeking assurance that toxins in Botany Bay are not cancer spreading.

The decision was supported unanimously by councillors at last week’s Bayside Council meeting.

“It’s been over two years since a Fairfax media investigation revealed elevated levels of toxins with suspected cancer causing links in Botany Bay,” Councillor Bill Saravinovski said in his Notice of Motion.

“Botany Bay and its connected waterways are a popular recreational destination. We need to be sure residents and visitors are safe now and into the future.”

Botany Bay, close to Sydney Airport, was identified as a ‘hotspot’ for potentially cancer causing chemicals.

Orica has been addressing and remediating the contamination following action in 2012 by the NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

Bayside Council will now write to the EPA seeking an update on the status of the toxin levels in Botany Bay and the plan of management to address any ongoing concerns.

The council will also ask for reassurance from the NSW EPA that local residents are not being exposed to potentially cancerous toxins in Botany Bay and connected waterways.

In 2018, Fairfax Media investigation revealed the St George and Sutherland Shire sites were among 10 in Sydney, 25 in NSW and 90 across the nation that authorities are investigating for elevated levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFAS).