Tap water in cities like Sydney, Newcastle, Canberra, and tourist areas such as Rottnest and Norfolk Islands has been found to contain chemicals that may cause cancer.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that these harmful substances, known as PFAS (per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances), are present in the water.
Persistent and Harmful
PFAS chemicals, often called “forever chemicals,” stay in the environment for a long time.
They can build up in the human body and may lead to cancer.
Despite these risks, Australia does not yet have strong measures to control or remove these chemicals from drinking water.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns that any exposure to PFAS is potentially dangerous.
Australian experts are now calling for urgent action to monitor and clean the drinking water.
This issue is especially worrying because it affects not only local residents but also visitors in popular tourist spots. The widespread contamination poses a health risk to many people.
The Australian government is facing pressure to inform the public about these dangers and take steps to improve water quality. This might include using advanced water purification technologies to reduce and eventually eliminate PFAS contamination.
