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.
What is being done about PFAS in NSW?
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.
What about PFAS in drinking water?
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.
Frequently asked questions