Sydney beach is closed after cancer-linked ‘forever’ chemicals are detected in the water – what you need to know
A popular Sydney beach has been quietly closed to swimmers over fears the water ‘perpetually contains chemicals’ that can cause cancer.
At Tower Beach, or ‘Plainspotting Beach’, next to Sydney Airport, ‘no swimming’ and ‘no fishing’ signs have been erected without any fuss, although unsuspecting residents continue to dip into the water as temperatures rise.
An underground body of water, known as the Botany Sands Aquifer, beneath the airport has been contaminated with dangerous levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
PFAS have been linked to cancer and are considered “forever chemicals” because they never break down in the environment.
The ‘no swimming’ signs were quietly installed two years ago, but swimmers, fishermen and horse riders continue to visit the beach.
Families with young children prefer the beach because of the calm water.
Tower Beach is also popular among airplane enthusiasts who enjoy the views of the airport’s main runway.
A local resident, Terry Daly, was outraged by Sydney Airport’s lack of transparency about the threat and the poor visibility of the ‘no swimming’ signs.
The ‘no swimming’ signs were quietly installed two years ago, but swimmers, fishermen and riders continue to enter the water at Tower Beach next to Sydney Airport (pictured)
Tower Beach, also known as ‘Plainspotting Beach’, is located close to Sydney Airport
“Little kids play on the sand there all the time,” Mr. Daly told the newspaper Sydney Morning Herald.
The presence of PFAS in NSW, including in Botany Bay, is the subject of an ongoing investigation by the NSW EPA.
A spokeswoman for the environmental watchdog said this week it would continue to urge the federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, which regulates airport land, to protect Aussies from PFAS.
“Transparency around the level of infection is important to ensure community awareness,” the spokeswoman said.
But there is disagreement over who should pay for the cleanup: Sydney Airport or Airservices Australia, which used PFAS-containing foams in airport firefighting operations until 2010.
Airservices Australia is conducting its own investigation into the presence of PFAS at the airport, the result of which is expected in mid-2025.
It comes after low levels of PFAS were also detected in Sydney’s drinking water catchment areas in June 2024.
Tests showed the carcinogens were present at major filtration plants including Orchard Hills, Prospect Reservoir and Warragamba.
The presence of PFAS in NSW, including in Botany Bay, is subject to an ongoing investigation by the NSW EPA
However, there were no detectable levels of PFAS in the Macarthur, Nepean, Woronora River or Illawarra catchments.
The concentration levels are within Australian safety limits for drinking water, but are much higher than what US authorities consider safe to drink.
The results of the tests carried out by Sydney Water prompted the country’s largest water company to carry out monthly tests in ‘potentially affected areas’.
The move contradicted Sydney Water’s previous position that there were no PFAS hotspots in the city’s drinking water catchments.