The investigation includes at least 18 defence bases in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, West Australia and Northern Territory.
This does not fully set out the scale of the problem in Australia with locations from Brisbane Airport to Bundaberg and communities from Victoria to Darwin also identifying emerging contamination.
In Australia particular focus has been on three communities.
Located approximate to the RAAF Base Williamtown the community has launched one of Australia’s largest environmental class actions after widespread PFAS contamination of the communities’ ground and surface water occurred. Williamtown residents have led the national debate and awareness on this issue since 2015.
Based 160km west of Brisbane, Oakey was the first Australian community to be told its ground and surface water had been contaminated by PFAS. The contamination source was from the nearby Army Aviation Centre Oakey. Members of the Oakey community have also launched a class action against the Department of Defence.
Residents have faced water restrictions put in place when PFAS compounds were discovered in the town two years ago. PFAS had leached from the RAAF Base Tindal and contaminated the surround ground. surface and municipal water. Government blood testing of Katherine residents has shown exceedingly high levels of PFAS.
Other sites around Australia include, Sale, Townsville, Darwin, Melbourne Airport, Maitland, Edinburgh, Canberra, Jervis Bay and Wagga Wagga.
”In Queensland, of the 75 Oakey residents tested, the level of PFOS and PFOA in their blood was found to be in some cases as high as 18 times above the Australia average.
Dr Mariann Lloyd-Smith and Dr Rye Senjen
The Coalition Against PFAS (CAP) represents communities around Australia contaminated by PFAS chemicals.
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