THE Penshurst CFA training site remains closed as authorities continue an intensive cleanup after the discovery of elevated levels of chemicals that have been linked to cancer blooms in the US and elsewhere in Australia by a Fairfax Media investigation.
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Three years ago it was discovered that groundwater on properties neighbouring the Penshurst training site was contaminated with a firefighting chemical that contained high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFAS).
Penshurst residents were briefly advised not to drink the town’s water in 2015 before it was declared safe.
The clean up works at the training site began last year and have led to the site being closed since March. They involve the construction of a new dam and stormwater diversion works and are expected to be completed in coming weeks.
A report by an environmental auditor to the CFA last year recommended two properties close to the training site no longer be used for livestock production because of PFAS contamination.
Wannon Water this week said its Penshurst customers could continue to be confident about the safety of the town’s reticulated water supply.
However, the Fairfax Media investigation revealed over the weekend that at least 21 children at a US high school have battled cancer through their school years, or shortly after, while growing up in a city whose water supply was contaminated with PFAS.
Fairfax Media has also previously revealed 50 cancer cases over a 15-year period on a road near the Williamtown air base in NSW, an area that has also been heavily polluted with PFAS chemicals from firefighting foam.
The investigation found the Penshurst training site was one of at least 90 across Australia that were under investigation because of high levels of PFAS firefighting chemicals.
Australia remains one of the few countries not to have banned the chemicals and the federal government is now defending multiple class actions from towns across Australia where contamination has occurred.
The Australian federal department of Health maintains there is no consistent evidence the chemicals cause “important” health effects, in contrast to the US EPA, which has concluded they are a human health hazard that - at high enough levels - may cause immune dysfunction, reproductive issues and certain types of cancer in humans.
Man-made PFAS chemicals were a lucrative discovery for industry due to their unusual properties: they have been described as “virtually indestructible” in the environment and repel grease, oil and water. They were manufactured by Fortune 500 company 3M for 50 years.
The explosive findings have raised concerns among Penshurst residents with one, Keith Staff, saying the possibility of a link between PFAS and cancer needed to be investigated further.
Wannon Water managing director Andrew Jeffers said tests showed the Penshurst water supply met all the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and was not affected by PFAS chemicals.
Southern Grampians Shire chief executive Michael Tudball said the CFA had liaised closely with residents neighbouring the training site that had bores.
None of the bores were used for drinking water, so no replacement sources had been required, he said.