Oakey groundwater contaminated by army aviation base chemicals

DISTRESSED residents of a Queensland town are pleading with the Defence Department to urgently subsidise blood tests, after recent tests showed alarmingly high toxicity levels in the underground water supply.

Oakey residents are living in fear amid revelations of toxic chemical levels in the groundwater.

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DISTRESSED residents of a rural Queensland town are pleading with the Defence Department to urgently subsidise blood tests for the region, after new test results showed alarmingly high toxicity levels in their underground water supply.

The town of Oakey – 159km west of Brisbane – has been battling with contamination of the town’s bore water system from the use of toxic firefighting foam at the local army aviation centre between 1970 and 2005.

However residents told The Courier-Mail the problem was getting worse, with bore water test results from several Oakey properties in recent weeks showing contamination levels are even higher than they were in 2014.

Former Oakey resident Kathryn Cherry with her sons Elliott and Todd Catton. Kathryn moved away two years ago, but Elliott has just been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and she's worried this is linked to the chemicals. Picture: David Martinelli

One property recorded a staggering 50 per cent rise in the past two years.

The shocking results have left the 5000 Oakey locals concerned about the potential health risks they have been exposed to.

A recent report from the Environmental Protection Agency linked exposure to the two chemicals found in the bore water – perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) – to pregnancy developmental issues, testicular and kidney cancers as well as thyroid, liver tissue and immune system damage.

The contamination was the subject of a Senate report this month that looked at PFOS and PFOA in residents and the town’s surrounding bore water systems.

Of 75 Oakey residents tested, the level of PFOS and PFOA in their blood was found to be, on average, three times higher than other Australians – and in some cases as high as 18 times above average.

The report raised concerns that the toxic firefighting foam had been used at more than 100 sites across Australia, with 16 identified as tagged for urgent investigation.

The Defence Department has confirmed to The Courier-Mail it has started preliminary sampling at the Royal Australian Air Force Base in Townsville and will begin testing at RAAF Amberley, near Ipswich, to determine whether the toxins have infiltrated the towns – the results will be released in the next two months.

A report by the US Environmental Protection Agency released this week officially made safe drinking water levels more stringent, changing the acceptable PFOS level from 0.2 micrograms per litre (ug/L) to 0.07ug/l and PFOA from 0.4ug/l to 0.07ug/l.

The levels being recorded at Oakey are as high as 20ug/l for PFOS and 0.76 ug/l for PFOA.

Assistant Defence Minister Michael McCormack said Australian guidelines stated there was “no consistent evidence that exposure to PFOS and PFOA causes adverse human health effects” but he cautioned residents to minimise their exposure to the chemicals.

The Senate report this month recommended Defence fund annual blood tests and counselling services for concerned residents.

However the department said it would not fund any further blood tests as the tests would not be able to determine if high levels of chemicals in residents’ blood would make them sick. Given this uncertainty, they say further testing could “lead to an increased level of anxiety”.

The blood test costs about $640 per person, which residents say they cannot afford.

National Toxics Network senior adviser Dr Mariann Lloyd-Smith said the department’s excuse was laughable.

“To say there is no evidence to show impacts on human health from exposure to these chemicals is so out of touch with the global response,” Dr Lloyd-Smith said.

“I would suggest the (department’s) reluctance to allow or facilitate blood testing for residents is an attempt to limit the amount of information coming out there and also to limit their liability.”

More than 50 Oakey residents are now seeking legal advice with a view to launching a class action.

Shine Lawyers partner Peter Shannon said Oakey had become “ground zero” for the impact caused by the industrial chemicals.

“The evidence that these chemicals are causing harm is overwhelming and yet our Defence refuses to act for the town of Oakey,” Mr Shannon said.

“We are considering the possibility of a class action.”

Local LNP state MP Pat Weir said the Federal Government needed to take primary responsibility for addressing the issue.

For more information on a potential class action, click here.