Per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are chemicals used to make products which resist heat, stains, grease and water. PFAS remain in the environment, including water and soil, for a long time. PFAS chemicals can build up in the body and take a long time to be removed.
Developed in the 1950s, PFAS are still used in some products today.
Due to the common use of these chemicals, most Australians are likely to have some PFAS in their bodies. People can be exposed to PFAS through food, water, air and skin contact.
enHealth (the Australian Environmental Health Standing Committee) notes, low level exposure to PFAS is unlikely to cause significant health problems.
The Commonwealth and all state and territory governments have agreed on steps to reduce the use of PFAS where possible. These steps are outlined in the National PFAS Position Statement.
For information about exposure to PFAS, read the Australian Government PFAS fact sheet.
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) leads a PFAS Investigation Program to review places where PFAS has been used in the past.
NSW Health works with the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), enHealth and other national committees to develop guidelines to safely limit PFAS exposure to people.
The Commonwealth Department of Health, Food Standards Australia New Zealand and the NHMRC have developed health-based guidance values for PFAS.
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) develops the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG).
The guidelines have health-based guideline values for PFAS in drinking water. These guidelines have recently been reviewed and new draft guidelines were released for consultation in October 2024.
These proposed guidelines will not be adopted until the consultation period is over, submissions reviewed and NHMRC publishes a finalised guideline. The proposed guideline values may change depending on input from the consultation process and whether new information becomes available.
The NHMRC has confirmed that drinking water, as long as it meets its current drinking water guidelines, remains safe to drink.
The draft NHMRC statement, fact sheet and supporting documents can be found on the NHMRC website.
Water utilities are responsible for assessing and managing the risk of PFAS in drinking water. NSW Health recommends all water utilities undertake initial testing for PFAS. For local water utilities that have not tested for PFAS, NSW Health can arrange testing of their treated drinking water.
NSW Health also recommends all local water utilities report drinking water monitoring results to their communities.
For further information, view NSW Health’s advice for water utilities.
The levels of PFAS tested in NSW drinking water supplies recently are all below the current NHMRC guideline values.
Only water supplied from one area in the Upper Blue Mountains, processed through the Cascade Water Filtration Plant exceeds the proposed new PFAS guideline values, although it remains well below the current drinking water guidelines. The results for PFAS testing in the Cascade drinking water supply are available on the Sydney Water website.
Sydney Water and WaterNSW are actively working on both short- and long-term solutions to bring this system in line with the rest of Sydney’s water supply, which already tests below the new proposed PFAS limits.
To date, no concerning detections have been found in regional NSW drinking water supplies and testing is ongoing. The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) and NSW Health are working to support all regional water utilities to test their drinking water for PFAS and testing is ongoing.
PFAS (per and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) are a group of human-made chemicals. They remain in the environment, including water and soil, for a very long time. Many PFAS accumulate in the body and are only slowly removed.
PFAS was developed in the 1950s to make products that resist heat, stains, grease, and water. They are often found in furniture and carpets treated for stain resistance, foams used for firefighting, packaged food containers, make up, personal care products, and cleaning products.
Most Australians will have some PFAS present in their bodies due to the common use of PFAS in products. People can be exposed to PFAS through food, water, air and skin contact.
There is currently limited evidence of human disease or other risks to health from low level PFAS exposure. For information about exposure to PFAS and the possible health effects, see the Australian Government PFAS fact sheet.
On 3 April 2017, the Commonwealth Department of Health released the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) guidelines for Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) and Food Guidance for per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) (PDF 137KB).
This process is part of the usual practice of establishing food standards in Australia, and determines the safe level (tolerable daily intake or TDI) at which people can consume food or water containing PFAS.
Please see a factsheet on the FSANZ guidelines for Tolerable Daily Intake and Food Guidance for PFAS (PDF 137KB).
The Commonwealth Government, and all state and territory governments, have agreed on steps to reduce PFAS use where possible.
These steps are outlined in the National PFAS Position Statement.
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) develops the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
The NHMRC is Australia's leading expert on public health and medical research. It bases its decisions on the latest scientific evidence, ensuring that guidelines are up to date and safe. It is a trusted independent body, with no commercial interest.
The Australian Drinking Water Guidelines have health-based guideline values for PFAS in drinking water.
NSW Health works closely with water utilities, including Hunter Water, Sydney Water, WaterNSW and local water utilities in regional NSW, and the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water to support the implementation of the guidelines.
The guidelines apply to drinking water, which is treated water. The water found in dams and other catchments is untreated water and is not subject to the guidelines.
Yes. The guidelines have recently been reviewed by the NHRMC and new draft guidelines were released for consultation in October 2024.
Sydney Water and WaterNSW are actively working on both short- and long-term solutions to bring this system in line with the rest of Sydney’s water supply, which already tests below the new proposed PFAS limits.
Water utilities are responsible for assessing and managing the risk of PFAS in drinking water.
Under the NSW Public Health Act 2010 all water utilities must implement a risk-based drinking water management system based on the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
NSW Health recommends all local water utilities conduct initial PFAS testing. If PFAS is a risk, local water utilities must manage it.
NSW Health does not test drinking water for PFAS. For local water utilities that have not tested for PFAS, NSW Health can arrange testing of their treated drinking water.
For further information, view NSW Health’s advice for water utilities.
