'Hazard approach' needed to control forever chemicals

Australia needs to toughen its approach to managing PFAS, an inquiry examining the impact of the so-called forever chemicals has been told.

A Senate committee is investigating the PFAS family of chemicals, which do not naturally break down and have been linked to health problems including cancer.

PFAS are a large group of chemicals that can resist heat. They have been used in fire-fighting foam, medical devices, non-stick cookware, cosmetics, sunscreen and packaging.

Jane Bremmer, chair of Toxics Free Australia, a not-for-profit organisation working for pollution elimination, gave evidence at a hearing in Launceston on Wednesday.

Ms Bremmer, who has served on a federal government industrial chemicals committee, said Australia had an inferior chemical regulatory framework compared to other OECD nations.

She said Australia should adopt a "hazard" approach to managing PFAS rather than "risk assessment".

"The most effective and reliable way of controlling risk is to eliminate hazard," Ms Bremmer said.

"PFAS is a really good example of where a hazard approach is warranted because PFAS chemicals are so ubiquitous and so widespread."

The head of the Water Services Association of Australia told the inquiry in January that PFAS should be banned in non-essential consumer products.

University of Sydney's Dr Nicholas Chartres has urged the government to follow the lead of European countries and ban PFAS chemicals as a class.

The NSW environmental regulator has previously told the inquiry it had identified 51 sites in the state with significant PFAS contamination needing monitoring and remediation.

Matt Landos, director at Future Fisheries Veterinary Services, told the inquiry on Tuesday PFAS should be dealt with at the source.

"That is, we must remove as much of the PFAS in all facets of its use to begin to address this problem," he said.

Studies on zebrafish had shown exposure to PFAS resulted in permanent changes in their health and behaviour, Dr Landos said.

A University of Tasmania study published in 2024 found PFAS in 82 per cent of 45 blood samples taken from little penguins.

PFAS was also detected in 76 per cent of nests in what was alarming evidence the chemicals had become widespread in marine and coastal environments.

Dr Landos said he held "significant concerns" around PFAS accumulating in adult marine animals and being passed to their young.

The import and manufacture of some chemicals in the PFAS family will be banned by the Australian government from July.