Concentration of a specific “forever chemical” can double after time in the environment, a study has found, highlighting the urgent need for more research to identify the levels of thousands of related dangerous chemicals.
Per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances – commonly known as PFAS – are a group of 14,000 human-made chemicals popular for their uses in resisting heat, water, grease and stains.
But Australia is measuring, monitoring and advising on just three of them.
They are found in household products like non-stick frying pans, clothing, cosmetics, insecticides, and food packaging, as well as specialty products like firefighting foam.
But once they’re in the environment - or our bodies - they don’t degrade further.
PFAS have been linked to environmental and health issues, including cancers, but much is unknown about the scale and potential impacts of the problem - including how much is in our water supply.
Researchers from UNSW Sydney found that a carcinogenic PFAS known as branched perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was more prevalent than expected in firefighting foam.
In a paper published in Water Research, a UNSW team showed that concentrations of branched PFOA in firefighting foam would double after time in the environment.
"(We took) the firefighting foam and put it through a test to mimic what would happen to those chemical compounds in the environment, and we found that this branched PFOA was actually an important product of that process,” Professor Denis O’Carroll said.
The research showed that more studies need to be done on PFAS chemicals, Prof O'Carroll said, because in Australia, authorities only measure, monitor and advise on just three of them.
“(We identified) that branched PFOA is likely to be more pervasive in the environment than currently anticipated, but then there are 14,000 other ones we could also be measuring," he said.
“What I think this research shows, more broadly, is that we should be analysing for more than just a few of these PFAS that are out there and compiling a more holistic picture.”
The federal government recently proposed updating its drinking water guideline, suggesting an acceptable level of 200 nanograms per litre for PFOA. However, in April 2024, the United States Environmental Protection Agency set its drinking water concentration limits for PFOA at just four nanograms per litre.
The researchers have also been working on developing new catalysts that are able to break down PFAS chemicals.
The federal Health Department said the government had provided $11.7 million for health and medical research through the NHMRC Targeted Call for Research scheme to further increase the understanding of the acute and long-term potential human health effects from exposure to PFAS.
In December 2019, NHMRC announced nine successful applications for funding. These studies are expected to conclude between 2023-2025.
