Posted on November 6, 2024 by Fayette Vermeer and Megan Hawley

Draft Australian Drinking Water Guidelines Released for Public Consultation

On 21 October 2024, the National Health and Medical Research Centre (NHMRC) released its proposed amendments to the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (Guidelines) for public consultation.

The draft Guidelines recommend lower values for PFAS in drinking water and are an interim proposal that may be subject to change following further consultation and deliberation.

The Guidelines

The Guidelines are part of the National Water Quality Management Strategy and are designed to provide a framework for safe, good quality drinking water. It states the amount of PFAS a person can consume daily and over a lifetime in drinking water without any appreciable risks to health.

PFAS, or ‘per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances’, are synthetic substances which are highly mobile in water and are often referred to as ‘forever chemicals’. As confirmed by recent and ongoing testing, all water supplied by Sydney Water and Hunter Water complies with the existing Guidelines and remains safe to drink.

The NHMRC maintains the Guidelines through a rolling review process to ensure that it represents the latest scientific evidence and expert advice on good quality drinking water. The Guidelines are used and followed by state and territory health departments, drinking water regulators, local health authorities, and water utilities in order to provide safe drinking water.

Proposed new PFAS values

The NHMRC is proposing updates to the health-based drinking water guidelines for several PFAS in order to keep the Guidelines current and scientifically sound.

The proposed changes to the health-based guideline values are summarised as follows:

• PFOA – the health-based guideline value is proposed to be lowered from 560 ng/L to 200 ng/L based on new health concerns (cancer effects);
• PFOS – the health-based guideline value is proposed to be lowered from 70 ng/L to 4 ng/L based on new health concerns (bone marrow effects);
• PFHxS – a new, separate health-based guideline value for PFHxS of 30 ng/L is proposed, having been lowered from 70 ng/L, based on human health considerations (thyroid effects);
• PFBS – a new, separate health-based guideline value for PFBS of 1000 ng/L is proposed based on human health considerations (thyroid effects), where there was previously no health-based guideline value; and,
• GenX chemicals – a health-based guideline value for GenX has not been set due to a lack of data.

Public consultation

The NHMRC has provided guidance material as part of the consultation process. This includes a draft PFAS Fact Sheet, the NHMRC Statement on PFAS in Drinking Water, Administrative Report, and various documents outlining the evidence supporting the draft Guidelines. This material is available at this link.

The state’s water authorities, in conjunction Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, the NSW Environment Protection Authority, and NSW Health, are reviewing the draft Guidelines and considering its implications for the monitoring, testing, and treatment of drinking water across the state.

The information and submissions made during the public consultation period will be considered by the Water Quality Advisory Committee in consultation with the NHMRC, and will be used to make strengthen the drinking water quality management framework in Australia.

You may make a submission for the NHMRC’s consideration at this link. Submissions close on 22 November 2024.

If you have any questions regarding this article, please leave a comment below, or contact Megan Hawley on 02 8235 9703 or Fayette Vermeer on (02) 8235 9730.