Authorities continue contending with PFAS issues in NSW.

Free bottled water is being distributed to Warialda residents after PFAS contamination was detected in the town's bore water.  

PFAS “forever chemicals”, which do not break down in the environment, were reportedly found at levels exceeding Australian drinking water guidelines. 

In response, the NSW government is providing two litres of bottled water per person daily for Warialda’s 1,500 residents. Supplies are available at the local grocery store and tourist information centre.  

While NSW Health has assured the public that short-term exposure is unlikely to pose health risks, it has advised against drinking the water. Showering, washing dishes, and laundry remain safe.  

The local council is now investigating how the contamination occurred.  

PFAS chemicals, used in firefighting foam, cosmetics and non-stick cookware, are linked to high cholesterol, reduced kidney function, low birth weight and certain cancers.  

The issue is not limited to Warialda. 

Tests have revealed contaminated water was being supplied to 41,000 homes in the Upper Blue Mountains. 

Meanwhile, sewage by-products, or biosolids, containing elevated PFAS levels have been spread on farms across central and southern NSW for decades as fertiliser.  

Greens MP Cate Faehrmann, chair of a NSW parliamentary inquiry into PFAS, has criticised the state’s outdated guidelines. 

“What they’re not telling the public is that these guidelines are now out of date,” she said, describing the findings as a wake-up call for water suppliers.  

Stricter PFAS limits proposed by the National Health and Medical Research Council are expected in 2025, which could make current levels even less acceptable.  

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