Community calls on Department of Defence to expand PFAS testing zone in Richmond – ABC News

Community calls on Department of Defence to expand PFAS testing zone in Richmond
It's been only six months since Liana Baker purchased her dream home on a tranquil patch of land in Richmond, north-west of Sydney.
But she is already facing the prospect of moving, after learning about PFAS contamination in the area.
The Richmond RAAF base lies about a kilometre away from her house, however, she said she was not informed that toxic PFAS chemicals had leached from the site into nearby properties before she bought the home.
"I knew absolutely nothing about PFAS," she said.
"I got a flyer in the mail about it a few weeks ago. I was really angry. Why aren't they making people more aware?"
PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals", were widely used in firefighting foams at defence force bases across Australia for decades until 2004.
The chemicals do not break down and accumulate in the soil, water and human bodies.
In 2018, a 10-square-kilometre plume of PFAS contamination was found in groundwater below and around the RAAF base in Richmond.
Over the past six years the Department of Defence has carried out tests at 50 private properties in the vicinity of the base.
At a heated community meeting last month, residents took on departmental representatives.
Ms Baker and dozens of other frustrated residents called on the department to expand its testing area further outside the base.
"You need to test every single person's land," Ms Baker told authorities.
Ms Baker has asked for her land to be tested, but while she anxiously awaits, she has taken precautions to minimise potential harm. 
"I don't drink the tap water. I ripped up the vegetable garden that I had for the grandkids," she said.
"They would go out and dig in [the garden] and eat the strawberries and things we planted."
Local residents were particularly concerned about the impact of recent floods on the spread of PFAS contamination.
Federal Member for Macquarie, Susan Templeman, said residents needed more clarity.
"We've had some huge floods since 2019 and that's raised many questions for people about what's happened with those floodwaters," the Labor MP said.
"One of our big concerns is just exactly how the flow of chemicals off this base is being stopped.
"People have a right to have a safe backyard."
The RAAF base makes up the main proportion of the current testing zone, with the furthest point extending to about 2km beyond the base.
While the department did not commit to expanding the zone, it said residents who were concerned could request tests to be carried out on their land.
"Defence will consider requests for sampling from a landowner with property within or close to PFAS management areas," a Defence spokesperson said.
The department acknowledged floods may have "historically contributed to the distribution of PFAS" around the base, but "the ongoing monitoring has not identified changes in the extent of PFAS impacts that may be attributable to the recent flood events".
Water expert and UNSW Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stuart Khan, said it was "very likely" flooding would have caused PFAS to spread even further in the area as the substance is "quite mobile" in the environment.
Information is very scarce around how many and where the PFAS-contaminated sites are and what the health effects of the chemical might be. When it comes to PFAS, it seems there are far more questions than answers.
He said the onus should not be on residents to request testing.
"You could be certain that those floods would have mobilised a lot of PFAS and moved it very long distances," he said.
"The monitoring needs to cover an area that realistically considers how far this PFAS might have spread.
"We shouldn't be relying on individual householders having to take the initiative to say we want some testing undertaken … this should be a systematic, well thought through process."
In May, the federal government settled a class action over PFAS contamination from firefighting foam at seven Department of Defence military bases across Australia, including Richmond.
The Commonwealth will pay out $132.7 million to about 30,000 claimants.
It was alleged residents were exposed to PFAS, and the department negligently allowed the chemicals to escape into the environment.
Some studies in the US and Europe have linked PFAS exposure to diseases such as cancer, but a 2019 Australian study said there is no conclusive evidence of increased risk of cancer or disease.
In 2018, soil testing of Richmond resident Joanna Pickford's property found PFAS in her chickens' eggs.
"My grandson used to go out and collect the eggs with me," she said.
"I had to do a lot of work in the garden and redesign everything so that it could be less impactful on anybody in the future."
Ms Pickford, who was a member of the class action, said she remained anxious about any potential long-term health impacts.
"I feel like I've affected [my grandchildren's] health and my daughter's health," she said.
"So it makes you feel really guilty."
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work.
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