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2.3 Concerns over per and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS
from Implementation of commitments in response to Inquiry into CFA Training College Fiskville - 2019
by igemvic
The inquiry concluded that poor safety practices – including the use of donated fuels, recirculated water and firefighting foams containing perfluorinated chemicals – had contaminated Fiskville and were likely to have harmed people’s health. Refer to section 2.3 for more information on perfluorinated chemicals. The inquiry also found that the transport and storage of hazardous materials were frequently undertaken in ways likely to have contravened legislative requirements and industry standards. The inquiry concluded that CFA did not respond as it should have to contamination at Fiskville. Individuals across CFA knew about contamination but failed to act or inform others within the organisation, and that the corporate knowledge that should have prevented exposure to contamination was either not passed on or was lost. This lack of action and information exposed the people who lived and worked at Fiskville to unnecessary risk.
The inquiry also identified shortcomings in the regulation of the site by both WorkSafe and the Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA), although it acknowledged that their roles were made more difficult by the CFA's poor recordkeeping and unwillingness to self-report safety-related incidents.
Per and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) – formerly known as perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) – are a class of manufactured chemicals used since the 1950s to make products that resist heat, stains, grease and water. PFAS easily enter the environment in soil, streams, rivers and lakes, and last for a long time.
There are now widespread health concerns relating to the use of PFAS. The chemicals of most concern in this class are perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS). In 2017 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified PFOA as a possible carcinogen. PFOS is yet to be classified. Prior to 2015, PFAS were added to firefighting foam in Victoria due to their effectiveness in fighting liquid fuel fires. These chemicals are no longer added to firefighting foam because of the health concerns and the persistence of PFAS in the environment, however there may be stockpiles of firefighting foams containing PFAS still in use in Australia. Although concerns exist about the potential link between PFAS and adverse health effects, studies are inconclusive. The Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) position is that there is no consistent evidence that PFAS causes any specific illnesses, including cancer. People are most typically exposed to PFAS through the consumption of contaminated food and drinking water. As there is no treatment for exposure to PFAS, advice provided to the public generally involves minimising exposure. Victoria has recently introduced presumptive rights to cancer compensation for career and volunteer firefighters. Under the compensation scheme, a firefighter claiming compensation for certain cancers will not have to prove that firefighting is the cause of their cancer. Instead it will be presumed that they contracted cancer because of their firefighting service and that they therefore have an entitlement to compensation.6
6 For more information refer to https://www.vic.gov.au/fire-services-reform#presumptive-rights-compensationscheme.
