Chemical expert Dr Mariann Lloyd-Smith’s urgent warning about how Australia is ‘falling behind’ other countries on drinking water safety

An expert on the risks of chemicals has delivered a scathing assessment of Australia’s drinking water quality guidelines.

Dr Mariann Lloyd-Smith, senior policy advisor for the International Pollutants Elimination Network, said Australia lags behind other countries when it comes to drinking water safety.

The amount of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) allowed in drinking water has been subject to new limits in the US, with laws there being much stricter than those in Australia.

“Australia cannot continue to have drinking water guidelines that are an international disgrace,” Dr Lloyd-Smith told ABC’s Radio National.

PFAS are also known as “eternal chemicals.” In 2023, the World Health Organization declared PFOA, one of approximately 14,000 known forms of PFAS, a class 1 human carcinogen.

“The Australian standards … are outdated, outdated and absolutely not useful in protecting human health,” Dr Lloyd-Smith said.

“We really need to get rid of these chemicals quickly. And especially when it’s in drinking water, which everyone has to consume. It’s just totally unacceptable.”

In Australia, PFAS chemicals are widely used in fire-fighting foam on military bases because of their heat and flame resistance.

The chemicals, which were developed in the 1940s and 1950s, are also known for their water and stain resistance and are used in products such as raincoats and non-stick frying pans.

Nick Chartres, from the University of Sydney’s faculty of medicine and health services, said they were “the most mobile, persistent and toxic chemicals in the world”.

“We know they can get into the Arctic ice caps, into the ice in Antarctica, into the sediment of the deep sea floor. They travel everywhere, really,” Dr. Chartres said.

PFAS in drinking water has led to new regulations in the US.

Most Australians likely already have very low levels of PFAS in their bodies, through use of sunscreen and cosmetics, for example.

Long-term exposure, such as drinking contaminated water over a prolonged period, can lead to immune and heart problems. It can also affect the growth of the fetus and child.

Dr. Chartres said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency “has determined, based on the best available evidence that we have … that there really is no safe level (of exposure to PFAS).”

“So if you’re exposed in any way over your lifetime, your risk of these diseases increases gradually, depending on the level of exposure.”

He said the US law change should be a warning to Australia.

‘We now need to look at that and say, how do our standards compare? … And if there is any form of deviation from Australian (laws), why is there a deviation?’

In the US, the maximum allowable amount of PFOA and another variant, PFOS, in drinking water is four parts per trillion.

But in Australia, PFOS and PFHxS, another PFAS variant, are allowed up to a level of 70 parts per trillion.

“And for PFOA, which is much more toxic, we’ve identified a level of 560 (parts per trillion),” Dr. Lloyd-Smith said.

She did warn against buying bottled water to replace tap water.

“We’ve also found PFAS in bottled water, so that’s not the solution,” she said.

Filter systems can reduce PFAS levels in drinking water, but they are expensive and unaffordable for many people.

Dr Mariann Lloyd-Smith, a senior policy advisor for the International Pollutants Elimination Network, said Australia lags behind other countries when it comes to drinking water safety (pictured is the Warragamba Dam in NSW).

Dr Lloyd-Smith said people should try to limit their exposure to PFAS beyond just its presence in drinking water.

She advised people to read the labels and ingredients of the makeup products they use.

People should also research how their clothes, food and food packaging are made and what chemicals they may contain.

“Australia should assess (PFAS) as a class and aim to restrict and eliminate all uses of PFAS,” Dr Lloyd-Smith said.