Toxins found in soil at Edinburgh RAAF Base after contamination inquiry

MORE than 60 per cent of soil samples near the Edinburgh RAAF base have tested positive for potentially dangerous toxins.

• Contamination found, but no clear health threat
• Defence investigates toxin claims

MORE than 60 per cent of samples collected as part of an inquiry into contamination on and near the Edinburgh RAAF base have tested positive for potentially dangerous toxins.

The results were revealed yesterday during a public meeting held by the Defence Department into its investigation into perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) contamination at the Edinburgh airfield and on surrounding council-owned and private land.

The inquiry was launched last year after PFOS and PFOA, which do not break down in the environment and have been linked to cancer in people and animals, were detected on the Edinburgh RAAF base and in two nearby wetlands.

The location of the RAAF Base in Edinburgh.

These toxins are part of the Per- and Poly-fluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) group of chemicals and were in firefighting foams used at the base until 2004. About 50 people attended the first of two community meetings in Salisbury yesterday to hear from defence official’s about the investigation. PFAS Investigation and Management Program assistant secretary Luke McLeod said almost 900 soil, groundwater, surface water and sediment samples had been tested.

“We’ve had probably in excess of 60 per cent of the samples taken have had detections,” he said.

“We’ve had a range of different levels found; certainly source areas we’ve found contamination in high levels that we would have expected. Off-site we’re finding lower levels.”

Sites around Australia potentially contaminated by PFOS and PFOA.

Stan Itsines, whose family owns a farm near the RAAF base, was worried that bore water testing in the area was done on a voluntary basis.

“I know farmers around there (who) use bore water and they grow vegetables,” he said.

“Nothing against those people but the government has to force them to let (the department) test the water they use.”