Is Sydney Drinking Water Safe
Is Sydney’s Drinking Water Safe? This is a good question, but there is a more critical question you need to ask.
Please read all the articles. At the bottom of this post, I will tell you the question we should all be asking and the answer that will shock you.
Regarding forever chemicals (PFOS, PFHxS and PFOA), rest assured that the levels of these contaminants in our drinking water are well below the acceptable standards according to Sydney Water state the following on their website.
We regularly consult with WaterNSW and NSW Health to assess any potential risk to drinking water. We source most of Greater Sydney’s drinking water from protected catchments like Warragamba Dam. Our catchments have no known hotspots for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Greater Sydney’s drinking water meets the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
Drinking water sampling 25 June 2024
| Water filtration plant | PFOS (µg/L) | PFHxS (µg/L) | PFOA (µg/L) |
| Cascade – Blackheath | 0.0155 | 0.0136 | < 0.0001 |
| Cascade – Katoomba | 0.0164 | 0.0142 | < 0.0001 |
| Illawarra | < 0.0001 | < 0.0001 | < 0.0001 |
| Macarthur | < 0.0001 | < 0.0001 | < 0.0001 |
| Nepean | < 0.0001 | < 0.0001 | < 0.0001 |
| North Richmond | 0.0011 | 0.0014 | < 0.0001 |
| Orchard Hills | 0.0012 | 0.0009 | < 0.0001 |
| Prospect | < 0.0001 | 0.0008 | < 0.0001 |
| Warragamba | < 0.0001 | 0.0001 | < 0.0001 |
| Woronora | < 0.0001 | < 0.0001 | < 0.0001 |
| Australian Drinking Water Guidelines values | PFOS + PFHxS = 0.070 µg/L | 0.56 µg/L | |
Drinking water sampling 9 July 2024
| Water filtration plant | PFOS (µg/L) | PFHxS (µg/L) | PFOA (µg/L) |
| Cascade – Blackheath | 0.0147 | 0.0191 | < 0.0001 |
| Cascade – Blackheath (duplicate sample) | 0.0146 | 0.016 | < 0.0001 |
| Cascade – Katoomba | 0.014 | 0.0179 | < 0.0001 |
| Australian Drinking Water Guidelines values | PFOS + PFHxS = 0.070 µg/L | 0.56 µg/L | |
According to these tests, we don’t have to worry about PFOS, PFHxS and PFOA in our drinking water except for the answer to the next big question.
The Big Question
Does the human body expel or retain PFOS, PFHxS and PFOA chemicals?
The human body expels PFOS, PFHxS, and PFOA chemicals but does so remarkably slowly. These chemicals persist in the body for long periods, underscoring the seriousness of the problem.
Retention and Excretion of PFAS.
Half-lives in the Body
- PFOS has a half-life of approximately 3.4-5.4 years in humans.
- PFHxS has an even longer half-life of about 5.3 years.
- PFOA has a half-life of around 2.7-3.8 years.
It’s crucial to note that the body takes several years to eliminate just half of these chemicals, highlighting the need for continuous monitoring.
Excretion Mechanisms
The body primarily eliminates these chemicals through urine, with some additional excretion pathways such as [urine menstruation breast milk].
Factors Affecting Excretion
Several factors can influence how quickly the body eliminates these chemicals: Kidney function plays a crucial role, as people with kidney disease may excrete less PFAS.
The length of the carbon chain in PFAS molecules affects elimination rates. Longer-chain PFAS (like PFOS, PFHxS, and PFOA) are eliminated more slowly than shorter-chain varieties.
Bioaccumulation
Due to their slow elimination, these chemicals tend to bioaccumulate in the body. Bioaccumulation is the gradual build-up of a substance in an organism over time. Even low levels of exposure can build up to potentially harmful levels over time.
The body does not metabolize PFAS compounds, contributing to their persistence.
In summary, while the human body gradually expels PFOS, PFHxS, and PFOA, their long half-lives are retained for extended periods, often years, leading to bioaccumulation with continued exposure.
The Even Bigger Question
At the current level of contamination, how many years can I drink Sydney Water before I reach a point when the risk of it killing me is reached?
3M settles out of court for $12.8 billion to avoid judgment on the claim they have poisoned 98% of the world’s population with Forever Chemicals.
Dupont, who purchased their Forever Chemicals from 3M, settled for $1.8 billion for allowing these chemicals to poison the water and affect the health of thousands of people. Recently,
The Sydney Morning Herald published a story about two sisters from the south coast who both developed one-in-a-million brain tumours because of Forever Chemical.
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September 6, 2024 at 8:53 amThank you for sharing this insightful article! I found the information really useful and thought-provoking. Your writing style is engaging, and it made the topic much easier to understand. Looking forward to reading more of your posts!