This week we are delving into a topic that we haven’t yet covered on water watch, but it has been in the media recently and there is growing awareness of its significance. In this episode we are talking about the chemicals commonly known as PFAS or ‘forever chemicals.’

PFAS are a class of almost 15,000 synthetic chemicals which are harmful to human and animal health, causing an array of serious illnesses. They were developed for industrial purposes, such as in firefighting foams, pesticides, building materials and electronics, but they’ve also been used in a large number of household and personal care products.

These include carpets, rugs, furniture, bedding, upholstery, cookware, food packaging, cleaning products, toilet paper, cosmetics, tampons, sanitary pads, dental floss, contact lenses, clothing, rain coats and shoes.

These chemicals are everywhere.

They are very resistance heat, stains, grease and water, and they do not breakdown, hence the name ‘forever chemicals.’

In the last few weeks, the Sydney Morning Herald have broken a story about potentially unsafe levels of these chemicals found in the Blue Mountains water supply, an hour and a half west of Sydney, and locals in the area are concerned about the effects that PFAS contamination might have on their health and the health of their children. In this episode we talk to Associate Professor Ian Wright from Western Sydney Uni who has been involved in the Herald's investigation, and we’ll be discussing this issue and what it means for communities and our water agencies as we embark upon more testing for these chemicals in Australian rivers.