Make up your own mind about the risks involved in PFAS contamination, but don't bury your head in the sand, says a chemical industry worker who sold his properties at Killara.
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A four-year investigation by the Department of Defence into the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment has found a low and acceptable risk to human health overall.
As the extent of PFAS in groundwater is unknown, controls around the use of groundwater and a feasibility study for its remediation have been included in a management plan, released this week by Defence alongside a human health report.
When it was first confirmed in 2017 that PFAS was being investigated in an area encompassing most of Wodonga, Mark Jones was concerned.
"I had a basic understanding of what they were, and we did a lot of research before we decided we didn't want anything to do with these things," he said.
"They are a unique chemical in that they're man-made, they're one of the strongest chemical bonds around, so that's why they take so long to break down.
"Because they are a bioaccumulator, it's one of those things that just doesn't go away."
Mr Jones, who works for a company selling agricultural chemical products, completed a thesis in the insecticide DDT, which was banned in 1987.
Like PFAS, which has been used in a range of household chemicals and fire-fighting foam, DDT was highly effective.
"When DDT came out, it was a miracle chemical," he said.
"By the time they realised it doesn't go anywhere, you can't take it away.
"Nobody did it with malice when they used this stuff, it was the best stuff you could use at the time.
"It's [PFAS] one of the very few things that is as effective as it was against heat - heat doesn't break the bonds of it.
"The issue with bioaccumulators is, you can have a little bit now, but by the time you're 55, it's a lot, because it hasn't gone anywhere and you've picked up tiny bits on an ongoing basis.
"Radiation doesn't kill you either; it has a certain level where it becomes a problem."
Importantly, for nearly all activities where people might come into contact with PFAS-impacted soil or water around the Bandiana base, the exposure risk has been classified 'low'.
That hasn't stopped at least two Wodonga residents paying for a blood test; The Border Mail understands both results have shown low levels of PFAS.
All people will have PFAS in their system, and while official health advice maintains there is no consistent evidence of subsequent adverse health effects, Australians living close to sources of contamination who have high PFAS levels in their blood have reported serious health concerns.
Mr Jones said Wodonga was different as groundwater isn't used for drinking; while this activity was considered risky by the Defence report, consultants' investigations did not find any evidence of people using groundwater for drinking and ongoing testing by North East Water confirms the town water supply (from Wodonga Creek) is safe.
"In places like Oakey, they're using groundwater daily and that's why they're getting high levels and there are some health effects people have experienced," Mr Jones said.
"You've got to ingest it.
"You don't want to be alarmist, but I don't think there's anything alarmist about saying, I wouldn't swim in that creek in Killara.
"I think at the very least, as a public health commitment, they should put signs up saying don't swim there, don't eat anything in the water, and regardless of what they say, there's no way I would grow anything in that soil and then consume it. That's just personal opinion."
Mr Jones sold a home and a block of land at Killara in 2017, moving to West Wodonga.
"The biggest disappointment I had was when it was announced this was an issue, and we looked into it, we hadn't settled on our block," he said.
"I went to the developers and I said, 'I'd like to take a step back' and not close on that block ... they forced us to settle.
"This investigation should be first thing on the list, full disclosure, when you're buying a property out there."
JMP Developments director Andrew Stern said when Mr Jones had asked to be let out of his contact, it had become unconditional.
"We were under no obligation to do so; this would not be standard practice. Mr Jones subsequently sold his block for a higher price than what he paid," he said.
"This matter has received widespread media coverage in the Albury-Wodonga region and the testing that has been undertaken by consultants acting on behalf of Defence has been exhaustive and well publicised.
"Defence has recently published their PFAS results on their website and 'The Human Health Risk Assessment found that PFAS exposure risks are all low and acceptable.
"'The Human Health Risk Assessment concluded a low and acceptable exposure risk for the consumption of home grown produce (eggs and vegetables) watered either with town supply water or surface water extracted from the Unnamed creek'.
"In undertaking these important investigations, Defence has utilised the services of highly regarded experts (Golder) and we suggest that anyone that might be concerned about this matter refer to the information that has been published on the Defence website, and they can also contact the consultant directly for further clarification."
The Department of Defence will maintain a public information line as it moves to reduce the migration of PFAS off-base.
Defence "will work with the impacted landowners and/or land managers to identify the precluded beneficial uses and minimise potential PFAS exposure risks".
As blood samples from five cattle grazed near the base all contained PFAS, "The assessment of risks following sale of produce into the commercial market is being managed by the relevant authorities".
Livestock and the environment are most exposed to the levels of PFAS found around the Bandiana Military Area - which are highest at the 15 source areas where aqueous film forming foams (AFFF) were stored or used for training in quantities of up to 560 litres annually in the 1980s and 1990s. Details such as source areas were confirmed in the first phase of the Defence investigation, before the HHERA was done - its release was originally flagged for 2019.
It shows eight out of 10 carp caught from the Kiewa River or its floodplains had concentrations of PFAS above food standards; in one case 3000 times the level at which food standards require investigation for consequences of consumption.
One Murray Cod tested slightly above the food standards and the report concluded eating cod was safe.
Heather Watts, who has signed up to a class action being led by Shine Lawyers, raised that while consultants and the public may argue carp aren't caught for eating, it is a possibility.
"On the one hand, they say it's all at safe levels, but on the other hand they say 'don't eat this', or 'don't drink that'," she said.
Mr Jones also raised that the scope of the Defence investigations did not include how people may have been exposed over the 40 years of PFAS leaching into the environment, since AFFF was first used.
"That report is very much geared to mitigation and management of risk now, for the Army," he said.
"They're looking at the contamination that's on site, what's actually left the base, and what they can do about managing that risk now and reducing how much runs off in the future."
The Defence investigation encompasses most of Wodonga and Killara is not the only major residential estate built on former Army Land.
Mr Jones, who The Border Mail contacted after he responded to a social media post about Shine Lawyers' class action, said it was up to individuals to decide their comfort with the investigations and acknowledged not everyone could sell.
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"People don't like thinking they've made the wrong decision, and that's just human nature," he said.
"It was lovely when we lived out there.
"We just decided that's something we didn't want to be associated with, regardless of what it might cost."
- ellen.ebsary@austcommunitymedia.com.au
