PFAS update for Australian Drinking Water Guidelines

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has released draft guidance on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as part of the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, and is inviting public feedback.

Global concerns have made headlines recently about the rise of “forever chemicals” being found in drinking water, house dust, food, and even in human blood. “Forever chemicals” such as PFAS are human-made chemicals that make products resistant to heat, stains, grease, and water.

Because of their widespread use, almost everyone will have some exposure to PFAS in their lifetime. Refrigerants are a major source of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), a type of PFAS, although this is not currently captured by the guidelines.

The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines are part of the National Water Quality Management Strategy and provide a reference for Australians on the water regulators and suppliers in each state and territory. The guidelines also offer advice on what defines safe, good quality drinking water, how it can be achieved, and how it can be assured.

The updated guideline values indicate the amount of PFAS that a person can consume in drinking water on a daily basis over a lifetime, without any appreciable risk to health.

NHMRC CEO Professor Steve Wesselingh says the public consultation is consistent with the NHMRC’s commitment to ensure that the latest evidence and international advice is applied to the national guidelines.

“NHMRC suggests that water suppliers regularly share information with the community on the current risks from PFAS in their catchment and the findings from background testing,” he says.

“This transparency will assist in providing consumers with reassurance about the water coming out of their taps.”

The draft guidance includes revised health-based guideline values for:

• Perfluorobutane sulfonic acid (PFBS) 
• Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) 
• Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)
• Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS)
• It also includes additional information on hexafluoropropylene oxide dimer acid and its ammonium salt (GenX chemicals).

NHMRC says the health-based guideline values are conservative, protective of human health, and are based on comprehensive evaluations of the latest evidence.

For more information and to make a submission to the draft guideline, please click here. Submissions will close on November 22, 2024.