Question Without Notice No. 681 asked in the Legislative Council on 11 October 2017 by Hon Dr Steve Thomas
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
SOIL AND WATER CONTAMINATION — FLUOROALKYL SUBSTANCES
681. Hon Dr STEVE THOMAS to the Minister for Environment:
I refer to the potential contamination of soil and water by chemicals known as per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances found in fire-retardant foam.
(1) Have these substances been discovered in soil or water in Western Australia?
(2) If yes, where has it been found and in what concentrations?
(3) If yes, how have the contaminated materials been managed?
(4) Are there any stockpiles or is there any storage of soils or water contaminated by per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances?
(5) If yes to (4), are any of these managed or controlled by the Western Australian state government?
Hon STEPHEN DAWSON replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1) Yes. As the honourable member may be aware, under the previous Liberal government, a number of investigations took place that identified the presence of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances at various locations in Western Australia. As a result of their use in certain types of firefighting foams and a range of common household products, including non-stick cookware, fabrics, furniture and carpet stain applications, and food packaging, PFAS can be found at low levels in soils, surface water and groundwater in most urban areas, including in Western Australia.
(2)–(5) Detail of the PFAS concentrations found varies with location. Data has been collected by a range of state and commonwealth agencies, and the states and commonwealth are working together to develop a national management plan. Full details of the matter will take time to compile. I request that the honourable member puts these parts of the question on notice.