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https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/apr/09/australia-among-hotspots-for-toxic-forever-chemicals-study-of-pfas-levels-finds>
"High levels of so-called forever chemicals have been found in surface and
groundwater all over the world, with Australia one of several hotspots for
toxic PFAS, a University of New South Wales study has found.
Researchers examined groundwater samples from around the world and found 69%
had per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at levels above Canada’s safe
drinking water criteria and 32% had levels higher than the US proposed drinking
water hazard index.
They found Australia was one of several “hotspots” relative to the rest of the
world, along with China, Europe and North America.
More than 14,000 human-made chemicals are PFAS, including PFHxS, PFOS and PFOA.
They have been used in firefighting foams, insecticides, food packaging,
non-stick frypans, clothing and cosmetics. They were created for their high
heat tolerance, and water and oil repellent properties.
They were dubbed forever chemicals because they do not break down in the
environment or the human body. PFAS have been linked to cancers, thyroid
disease, altered sex hormone levels, reduced kidney function and lower birth
weight in babies, but have not been proven to cause these conditions.
The study author, engineering professor Denis O’Carroll, said Australia’s limit
on acceptable PFOA in drinking water was “orders of magnitude” higher than in
the US.
Australia’s PFOA limit is 560 nanograms per litre, while PFOS and PFHxS is
limited to 70n/gl. Canada limits all PFAS to 30 ng/l, and the US limits PFOS
and PFOA to four ng/l."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
