On 21 October 2024, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) released the draft updated Australian Drinking Water Guidelines on PFAS.
The Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) has welcomed the draft guidelines, which propose health-protective levels for four PFAS:
- lower levels for the three types of PFAS in the current guidelines (PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS)
- a new level for an additional PFAS chemical – PFBS.
The guidelines set health-protective values for how much of a substance a person can consume over their lifetime, without any increased risk to their health. The values are very conservative, and include a range of uncertainty factors, which always err on the side of caution, to ensure public health. They include a wide safety margin.
The proposed NHMRC advice and health-based guideline values are draft only, and will not be considered final until they are published in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. The NHMRC is seeking feedback on the new draft Guidelines.
The water sector supports the NHMRC review and public consultation process which is now open and will close on the 22 November. WSAA and its members will undertake a thorough review of the draft guidelines and provide any feedback, including on how they can be best implemented.
WSAA has developed a set of fact sheets and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that for members, the general public and media enquiries. Please download them below.
If you have a media inquiry about PFAS please contact Danielle Francis on 0427 021 115 or email danielle.francis@wsaa.asn.au