Airservices Australia have began an investigation into a potential PFAS contamination outside Adelaide Airport
There are fears that possible cancer-causing chemicals have contaminated a residential area of up to 200m outside the Adelaide Airport.
There are fears that possible cancer-causing chemicals have contaminated a residential area of up to 200m outside Adelaide Airport.
Airservices Australia has today began a house-to-house investigation of a residential area outside the Airport’s western boundary after detecting a high level of chemicals from firefighting foam, known as per-and poly-fluroaklyl substances (PFAS).
The extent of the potential contamination is still being established but The Advertiser understands that a meeting of the Adelaide Airport Community Aviation Consultation Group was told the distance of potential PFAS contamination could be up to a distance of 200m from the western boundary of the airport.
Airservices Australia is also conducting groundwater sampling from the public land adjacent to the western boundary of the Airport, stormwater testing and a survey of bore water use in the area.
SA Water has advised that this area is not a catchment area for drinking water and that mains drinking water is not affected.
Airservices Australia is working with the Airport, the South Australian EPA and SA Health on the investigation.
There are multiple investigations into PFAS’ ongoing effects, which does not break down in the environment and has been linked in overseas studies to cancer in people and animals.
The discovery of PFAS at the western boundary of the Airport, and possibly beyond, came from a Preliminary Site Investigation Airservices Australia was conducting looking at PFAS contamination relating to the historic operations of the Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting Service.
The site investigation is part of a national PFAS management program conducted by independent consultants GHD.
Airservices has been using PFAS free fire fighting foam at Adelaide Airport since 2010.
There are also concerns about the impacts of the use of PFAS at the Edinburgh Royal Australian Air Force Base.