PFAS contamination sites and dead platypus
Mapping "hazardous concentrations" of PFAS plumes on NSW waterways

A study "found alarmingly high levels of PFOS in the livers of eight dead platypuses, collected from waterways across NSW."

"…Due to the shape of the valley, groundwater from beneath the landfill "ultimately flows towards the Ourimbah Creek catchment”.

"When you look at some of the research that's coming through, clearly it's raw water, our waterways, that we also need to be concerned about because we know PFAS gets into wildlife."

"The research that I've seen, not just in platypus, but in some other species, is really frightening. If that isn't enough to get the government to act on looking at PFAS in waterways, not just drinking water, then I don't know what is."
>>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-07/pfas-contamination-investigation-ourimbah-creek-catchment-nsw/106037472

"Scientists...have discovered PFOS in the livers of eight deceased platypuses collected from numerous eastern NSW rivers, from the north coast in Bellingen to the alps of Jindabyne." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-20/australia-forever-chemicals-pfas-drinking-water-platypus/104244072

#rivers #water #pollution #biodiversity #wildlife #platypus #wetlands #NSW #roads #crashes #spills #landfill #runoff #petrol #PFAS #PFOS #FirefightingFoam #OurimbahCreek #Bellingen #governance

#Australia: Research shows #NativePlants can detox #PFAS-contaminated #water

New research from Australia's national science agency #CSIRO, the #UniversityOfSouthAustralia and the #UniversityOfWesternAustralia has found that PFAS chemicals can be removed from contaminated water using Australian plants grown in a floating #wetland.

May 4, 2022

"They’re the non-stick on #Teflon cookware, the stain resistance in #Scotchgard, and the suppression factor in #FirefightingFoam, but while the staying power of PFAS chemicals was once revered, it’s now infamous as PFAS substances continue to infiltrate the #environment and affect human health.

"Now, new research from the University of South Australia is helping to remediate the ‘indestructible’ PFASs as scientists show that Australian native plants can significantly remediate PFAS pollutants through floating wetlands to create healthier environments for all.

"Conducted in partnership with CSIRO and the University of Western Australia, the research found that PFAS chemicals (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) can be removed from contaminated water via Australian #NativeRushes - #PhragmitesAustralis, #BaumeaArticulata, and #JuncusKraussii.

"Phragmites australis, otherwise known as the #CommonReed, removed legacy PFAS contaminants by 42-53 per cent from contaminated surface water (level: 10 µg/L).

"According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, exposure to PFAS may lead to a range of health issues including a decline in fertility, developmental delays in children, increased risk of some cancers, a reduced immune system, higher cholesterol, and risk of obesity.

"UniSA and CSIRO researcher Dr John Awad says that this research could alleviate many of these environmental and health risks by providing a clean, green, and cost-effective method to remove PFAS from the environment.

" 'PFASs are often referred to as ‘forever chemicals’ because they don’t break down, instead accumulating in the environment and in our bodies where they can cause adverse health effects,' Dr Awad says.

" 'In Australia, PFAS concerns often relate to the use of firefighting foam – especially legacy firefighting foam – which accumulates in the #SurfaceWater of our #waterways.

" 'Our research tested the effectiveness of Australian rushes to remove #PFASChemicals from #stormwater, finding that Phragmites australis was the most effective at absorbing chemicals through its roots and shoots.'

"The study used constructed floating wetlands as a mechanism for plants to grow #hydroponically. Dr Awad says floating wetlands present a novel and flexible way for natural #remediation systems.

" 'Constructed floating wetlands can be readily installed into existing urban environments, such as holding reservoirs and retention basins, making them highly manoeuvrable and adaptable to local waterways,' Dr Awad says.

" 'Plus, as this innovative water treatment system does not require pumping or the ongoing addition of #chemicals, it is a #CostEffective remediation system for PFAS removal.

" 'Add native plants to the mix and we have delivered a truly clean, green and environmentally-friendly method for removing toxic PFAS chemicals from contaminated water.' "

Notes to editors:

- So far, the floating wetlands system has only been examined under control laboratory conditions for PFAS remediation and the research team is looking forward to testing it in the real world, under natural conditions.
- This research is being carried out at the UniSA Mawson Lakes campus. PFAS has not been detected in or around Mawson lakes."

https://www.csiro.au/en/news/All/News/2022/May/Hydroponic-native-plants-to-detox-PFAS-contaminated-water

Original press release:
https://www.unisa.edu.au/media-centre/Releases/2022/hydroponic-native-plants-to-detox-pfas-contaminated-water/

#SolarPunkSunday #PFAScontamination #ForeverChemicals #Remediation #PollutionSolutions #WaterIsLife #PFASPollution #Remediation #PFASRemoval #PFASRemediation

#MaineCDC recommends limiting fish consumption from 4 new bodies of water due to #PFAS contamination

Maine Public | By Nora Saks
Published June 30, 2025 at 5:27 PM EDT

"The Maine Center for Disease Control is recommending that people limit consuming fish from four new bodies of water due to #PFASContamination.

"The new advisories apply to game fish caught in #LovejoyPond in #AlbionME, the #SebasticookRiver in #BurnhamME and #BentonCollyerBrook in #GrayME, and #AndroscogginLake in #LeedsME and #WayneME.

"The Maine CDC issued the new guidelines after elevated levels of PFAS, the group of man-made #ForeverChemicals, were detected in fish tissue sampled by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection last year.

"In the recommendations updated last week, the Maine CDC also expanded its advisories on #AnnabessacookLake in #MonmouthME and #WinthropME, and #MessalonskeeStream in #OaklandME and #WatervilleME.

"These additions bring the total number of rivers, lakes and streams that have game fish contaminated with unsafe levels of PFAS to 25.

"For more details on the consumption limits on numbers and species of freshwater fish in each waterbody, check out the Maine CDC website."

Source:
https://www.mainepublic.org/health/2025-06-30/maine-cdc-recommends-limiting-fish-consumption-on-four-new-bodies-of-water

Maine CDC website:
https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/environmental-health/eohp/fish/

#EPACuts #WaterIsLife #Maine #Pollution #PFAS #PFOS #ForeverChemicals #EnvironmentalDamage #Wildlife #PFASPollution #PFASContamnation #ManMadeDisasters #3M #3MLied #Scotchgard #Scotchban #BASF #Teflon #GenXChemicals #PFNA #PFHxS #Lubricants #Cosmetics #PFB #FireFightingFoam #DowChemical

Just proving that #Trump's administration is TOXIC!

Trump #EPA withdrawal of #PFAS effluent limits is setback for #PublicHealth, #EWG warns

WASHINGTON – "On Tuesday, the Trump Environmental Protection Agency withdrew a pending Biden administration plan that would have protected public health from the chemical manufacturing sector by setting discharge limits on the toxic '#ForeverChemicals' known as PFAS.

"The Trump administration pulled the proposal from White House review – the last step before the agency could release the plan publicly and seek comment on it. The decision is a significant setback for efforts to address the growing public health crisis caused by industrial PFAS pollution of the water supply.

"Coupled with President Donald Trump’s executive order placing a freeze on any new federal regulations, the withdrawal prompts significant concerns from environmental and public health advocates about the future of PFAS regulation and whether tackling the PFAS contamination crisis will be an administration priority.

The following is a statement from Melanie Benesh, vice president for government affairs at the #EnvironmentalWorkingGroup:

"Yesterday’s action by the Trump administration to withdraw the long-awaited proposal on PFAS effluent limits is a devastating setback in the fight to protect our communities from toxic 'forever chemicals.'

"This move not only delays establishing critical federal standards but also sends a dangerous message giving polluters a green light to continue poisoning our water and communities without fear of consequence.

"It’s an unconscionable betrayal of the public’s health in favor of corporate interests, and it underscores this administration’s troubling shift in policy which threatens to roll back any progress to protect our #environment and hold #polluters accountable.

"PFAS contamination is already a public health crisis. The science is clear: PFAS are toxic at even the smallest levels, and they have been linked to serious health problems, including cancer, immune suppression and developmental harm. Communities across the country, especially those near PFAS-manufacturing facilities, have lived with the devastating consequences of this pollution for decades.

"State regulators have waited for the federal government to lead on this issue so they can incorporate effective monitoring and treatment requirements into their discharge permits. Without federal limits, those efforts remain stalled.

"The Trump administration’s refusal to act now puts even more lives at risk, leaving American communities to fend for themselves as polluters continue their unchecked discharges of toxic PFAS into our water."

https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/statement/2025/01/trump-epa-withdrawal-pfas-effluent-limits-setback-public-health-ewg
#WaterIsLife #PFASContamination #EnvironmentalDamage #ManMadeDisasters #AFFF #Wildlife #OceansAreLife #PFASPollution
#FirefightingFoam #PFOS
#3M #ForeverChemicals #Environment #BigChemical #CorporateInterests #Corporatocracy #TrumptyDumpty #WhenIdiotsRule #USPol

Meanwhile across the pond...

'Forever chemicals' used on Jersey's potato crops

Alex Green - BBC News
February 4, 2025

"So-called #ForeverChemicals are present in at least four #AgriculturalSprays used in Jersey, including one used on #PotatoCrops, the island's environment minister has said.

"In the States Assembly, Deputy Steve Luce was quizzed on what actions, if any, were being implemented to reduce contamination by sprays containing PFAS in the island's water and environment.

"The minister was also asked to provide a timeline for 'achieving measurable progress' in addressing the issue.

"Luce said his initial discussions with the industry were focused on finding an alternative and stopping the use of such sprays 'as soon as possible'.
Health issues

"PFAS, used in #FirefightingFoam, leaked into the area by the airport's fire training ground in the early 1990s.

"The chemicals, branded forever chemicals because they take a long time to break down, are found in a small quantity in most people's blood, and research is ongoing to determine if higher levels can lead to various health problems.

"After the foam was confirmed to be in #DrinkingWater in 1993, the island's government and the #airport, which it owns, stopped the use of the foam and offered to install new bore holes for affected residents.

"People living in the area believe the #ContaminatedWater damaged crops and caused a litany of ongoing serious health issues.

"The PFAS Scientific Advisory Panel, which makes recommendations, was set up by Public Health in May 2023.

"Members met islanders who participated in the blood-testing programme and, in a draft report, recommended therapeutic phlebotomy for those affected.

"Therapeutic phlebotomy is a procedure that involves removing some blood from the body to lower the concentration of PFAS.

"In September 2024, the advisory panel published a report outlining the impact PFAS exposure had on health.

"The panel found exposure to certain PFAS was associated with #ElevatedCholesterol levels, and said there was evidence suggesting a probable increase in kidney and testicular #cancers among those exposed to certain PFAS materials."

https://www.aol.com/news/forever-chemicals-used-jerseys-potato-133931699.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9kdWNrZHVja2dvLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAABZmop0KSdL-pfyGNQQ6YFa_ZWa2A-I-IYn3iMdgNSqu8r3sx1KzjXe8z0xq6QlI6Ui8Tq3dKAIaPaOAbSwwC8hRdn7DYbc0Vij779pzAbzBL1JjbuMxIVifSgsCrBu06PFMbMHMiSzejtMNbpFXLIl_9TZMHjvEMPbmRriZkU1r

#ChannelIslands #JerseyUK #BalliwickOfJersey #PFASPollution #Farming #Potatoes

#Maine lawmakers introduce bill to create response program for #PFAS threats

February 6, 2025

AUGUSTA (WGME) – "State lawmakers have introduced a bill to create a response program to clean up and reduce threats created by dangerous chemicals known as PFAS.

"This comes months after toxic and potentially #cancer-causing #FirefightingFoam was accidentally sprayed at a former air base in #BrunswickMaine.

"While this bill would monitor PFAS levels, one Brunswick lawmaker says she and others are working on additional bills related to the fallout from that spill.

"'And we’re continuing to advocate for funding, whether it’s through the state budget or leaning on our federal partners, since that substance was put in by the Navy,' Sen. Mattie Daughtry (D-Cumberland) said. 'Because one thing I stand firm to is my constituents, myself, my neighbors, the taxpayers of Brunswick and Maine should not be on the hook for a disaster they did not cause.'

"This bill would allow the state to buy, sell or transfer property contaminated by PFAS and deposit the proceeds into a fund to deal with contamination."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/maine-lawmakers-introduce-bill-to-create-response-program-for-pfas-threats/ar-AA1yz81L
#WaterIsLife #CascoBay
#PFASContamination #EnvironmentalDamage
#ManMadeDisasters #AFFF
#PicnicPond #Site8Stream
#MereBrook #MerriconeagStream
#HarpswellCove #Wildlife #OceansAreLife #PFASPollution #BrunswickNavalAirStation
#BrunswickStation #Maine #AndroscogginRiver

High levels of #ToxicChemicals found in #BrunswickMaine airport hangar #sewers

#CitizenPFAS monitoring revealed concerning levels of toxic chemicals in the sewer outfall of #Hangar6 in Brunswick, though a company hired to assess risk at the hangar said there is no leak of the toxic firefighting foams on the premises.

by Kristian Moravec, The Times Record
Posted February 4, 2025, Updated February 5

"A citizens group’s testing revealed that sewer water flowing from Hangar 6 at Brunswick’s airport has high levels of harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, better known as PFAS.

"#FriendsOfMerrymeetingBay conducted testing on Nov. 26. The tests detected high levels of a particularly toxic #PFAS chemical compound known as #PFOS. The update comes the same day the owner of the hangar, the #MidcoastRegionalRedevelopmentAuthority, sent a letter to the town stating that tanks that stored the chemicals were not leaking.

"PFOS is a compound known to be harmful to human health and is found in high levels in aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF). Brunswick Executive Airport’s Hangar 4, which is owned by the Navy but operated by MRRA, dumped 1,450 gallons of AFFF concentrate mixed with 50,000 gallons of water on Aug. 19, 2024.

"The spill prompted ongoing cleanup and monitoring efforts as well as a push to get rid of the foam at the airport. Concern has grown around Hangar 6, which some have speculated is leaking harmful chemicals based on the testing data around the airport that Friends of Merrymeeting Bay has collected over the years. The sewage that flows out of Hangar 6, which is not treated for PFAS, ultimately flows into the #AndroscogginRiver."

Original article:
https://www.pressherald.com/2025/02/04/high-levels-of-toxic-chemicals-found-in-brunswick-airport-hangar-sewers/

Archived version:
https://archive.md/LlHx1

#CitizenScience #WaterIsLife #CascoBay #PFASContamination #BrunswickMaine #EnvironmentalDamage #ManMadeDisasters #WaterIsLife #PFAS #AndroscogginRiver #PFASContamination #AFFF #PFOS #PicnicPond #Site8Stream #MereBrook #MerriconeagStream #CascoBay #HarpswellCove #Wildlife #OceansAreLife #PFASPollution #BrunswickNavalAirStation #BrunswickStation #Maine #FirefightingFoam #OceansAreLife

Just like with #PFAS-laden #FirefightingFoam, less #Toxic alternatives are out there, but expense is often cited as a roadblock. TBH, things that benefit the environment and society shouldn't cost more than the toxic originals -- and toxic chemicals should be replaced! Period! Make #BigChemical pay! (Since they probably knew about the hazards but hid them from the public. As usual with Big anything these days...!)

A #PinkPowder is being used to fight #CaliforniaFires. It's getting everywhere

by Nadine Yousif, January 13, 2025

"Its use has been controversial in the past over its potential effects on the #environment.

"A lawsuit filed in 2022 by the #ForestServiceEmployees for #EnvironmentalEthics, an organisation made up of current and former employees of the #USForestService, accused the federal agency of violating the country's clean water laws by dumping #chemical #FireRetardant from planes onto forests.

"It argued that the chemical kills fish and is not effective.

"The following year, a US District judge agreed with the employees, but in her ruling allowed the Forest Service to continue using the retardant as it seeks a permit to do so from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

"The case drew the attention of communities devastated by #wildfires in the past, including the town of #ParadiseCalifornia, which was destroyed by fire in 2018.

"Its then-mayor, Greg Bolin, hailed the judge's ruling, saying it ensures communities 'have a fighting chance' in the face of fires.

"The Forest Service told NPR that this year, it phased out the use of one type of #PhosChek formula - #PhosChekLC95 - in favour of another - #MVPFx - saying that the latter is less toxic to #wildlife.

"The Forest Service also has a mandatory ban in place on dropping fire retardant in sensitive environmental areas, like waterways and habitats of endangered species. There are exceptions to the ban, however, in cases 'when human life or public safety are threatened.'"

Read more:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93lqng957jo?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us
#FireRetardant #FishKills #Wildfires #Firefighting