[Kharon]

More from the Sir An(g)us and Electric Blue PFOS diaries as reported today.

http://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-08...rt/8006952

The Department of Defence has released a report into the water quality of 12 sites around Australia located near contaminated Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) bases.


It is the second major round of investigations into the impact of the chemicals used in fire retardant at the Air Force bases.

It comes long after residents in two Queensland and NSW towns were alerted to significant contamination of their groundwater.

It examines 12 RAAF sites around Australia where the toxins perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) used on the bases have potentially seeped into the groundwater.

Opposition assistant spokeswoman for defence Gai Brodtmann slammed the timing of the report.

"This report was finished four months ago and it was released to state and government agencies and local councils, and the local communities were kept completely in the dark.

"We've been calling on the Turnbull Government to release it, to provide the communities that live around these 12 Defence sites with some certainty.

"They've been very concerned about the impact on their homes, on their businesses and their health."
The preliminary sampling report looks at whether the residential groundwater and surface water at those sites contain the potentially hazardous chemicals at levels exceeding safe environmental guidelines.

The report shows groundwater — or drinking water — at the bases in Townsville, Garden Island off the Western Australian coast, and Tindal near Katherine do exceed those levels.

Scientists critical of report's methodology
However, scientists question Defence's methodology, arguing it has made up its own guidelines.

Dr Mariann Lloyd Smith from the National Toxins Network said that means it is not in line with international safe drinking water standards.

She also pointed to a new report released by the New Jersey Drinking Water Quality Institute today that sets limits for safe drinking water in the US state.

She said it is of great concern here since Australia has set a safe drinking water level 78 times higher than the US Environmental Protection Agency.

"They have said that the US EPA's figure of the 70 parts per trillion … is far from protective enough and they are particularly concerned about the most sensitive populations.

"They have gone on to set a much lower figure, one of 14 parts per trillion, which is decidedly lower than the US EPA's one."

"I really do think we need to again to review Australia's standard as a matter of urgency."
Contamination fallout being 'managed' by Defence
The release of the Defence Department report on Tuesday comes after Northern Territory federal Labor representatives lobbied Defence to inform Darwin and Katherine residents about potential contamination.

In NSW, a Nationals senator has teamed up with federal Labor members in calling on Defence to take action over the Williamtown RAAF base contamination.

In Queensland, Greens Senator Larissa Waters today provided a statement accusing Defence of being sluggish on the issue.

But the federal LNP member for Groom, John McVeigh, said Defence has been thorough.

"It's a painstaking process to work out the potential impact of PFAS (PFOA and PFOS) chemicals," said Mr McVeigh.

"I want to see it finished just as soon as possible, but given that it is so complex and despite the fact that some locals are frustrated with progress, I'm confident that we're getting to the bottom of it in the coming weeks or months."

More than 400 residents near the Williamtown RAAF base at Newcastle have launched a class action against Defence because of declining property values.

And residents in the town of Oakey in Queensland's Darling Downs are planning to do the same.

The residents' lawyer, Peter Shannon, said Defence's approach with this most recent report is markedly different to how they dealt with Oakey more than 12 months ago.

"I think Oakey were the guinea pigs, you might say," said Mr Shannon.

"It went so badly there, and I think that's something acknowledged by Defence about how badly it was handled.

But Mr Shannon said this shows Defence is now developing a management plan often employed by corporates.

"The Commonwealth now have a PFAS investigation and management branch specifically," he said.

"It also has a PFAS inter-departmental committee and program governance board.

"I mean, this is being managed."

Oh my, I hope Sir Anus and Electric Blue have a decent compensation fund put aside? Tick Tock you muppets.