Due to the unique chemical nature of PFAS chemicals (containing multiple C-F bonds) they are very easy to quantify at very low levels. While the observation of man-made chemicals in the blood of 85% of Australians is concerning the concentration measured is likely to be far below the detection limit of many other man-made chemicals which are more challenging to quantify.

The different types of PFAS listed may be confusing. In general, the toxicity of PFAS is likely to be related to the size of the molecule. It is probably more useful for the public to be aware of the total amount of ‘long-chain PFAS’ present in their blood, rather than the amount of some specific chemicals.

The main exposure pathway is accidental consumption. Companies should not use fluorinated chemicals on their food packaging. Australians should wash their hands with soap and safely dispose of any scratched Teflon coated cookware. Drinking water is a minor exposure pathway, Australians can use a carbon filter to remove PFAS from their drinking water.

The published literature indicates that most people will encounter PFAS in their lives and are likely to have PFAS in their bodies from everyday use of items such as cookware, textiles, cosmetics, and plastics. Higher levels are likely to be found in individuals residing around environments close to regions where aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF) containing PFAS were used for fire-fighting purposes (e.g., airports and fire-fighting training facilities, fuel processing and storage).

PFAS are components and impurities of innumerable commercial and consumer products, which may become sources of exposure. Direct contact with PFAS could occur with some personal care products or cleaning products. PFAS-containing dust may be inhaled from carpets, fabrics, upholstery, cleaning products, plastics, paints. Ingestion of PFAS may occur after exposure of food to grease-resistant packaging or through pharmaceuticals, a significant number of which can be classified as PFAS. Occupational exposure may occur at chemical production facilities that use PFAS, such as chrome plating, electronics, and textile manufacturing.

CSIRO has a focus on the development of ultrahigh resolution techniques that enable the early detection of large number and complex nature of PFAS that can be present in samples for rapid management and response scenarios.

It is alarming that the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has released new data today from the National Health Measures Survey (NHMS), 2022-24, reporting approximately 95-100% of Australian’s aged over 12 have PFOS and PFOA in their blood. This includes children aged 12-17.

PFOS and PFOA are associated with cancer (e.g. testicular, breast and bladder), immunological (e.g. decreased antibody response in adults and children), cardiovascular (e.g. dyslipidaemia in adults and children), and developmental effects according to three world leading authoritative bodies, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), U.S National Academies of science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)/ World Health Organization.

Further, although not reported in the ‘Key Findings’ of the ABS website, the results of the NHMS have found a relationship between higher mean PFOS levels in the Australian population and biomarkers of chronic disease including high total cholesterol level, diabetes, abnormally low estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and Albuminuria (a measure of kidney function). It is important to recognise that this is cross sectional data, measured at one point in time and potential confounding factors (i.e. socioeconomic status and exposure to other toxic agents) have not been controlled for that could be associated with the results. Further analyses are therefore required to understand the strength of these relationships.

Finally, it is alarming that the Australian Government continues to state (based on the statement on the ABS website) that “there is currently limited evidence of human disease or other clinically significant harm resulting from PFAS exposure”, when three world leading authoritative bodies, the U.S. EPA, U.S NASEM and IARC have established the above health effects based on more rigorous, extensive and current evaluations of the evidence than what the Australian Government has conducted thus far.

It is interesting that ABS reported the percentage of people detected for certain PFAS but didn’t provide the concentration for each PFAS, which are also important data.

Males generally have higher PFAS levels than females, largely because females can eliminate PFAS through menstruation, as well as through pregnancy and breastfeeding.

This report further highlights both the widespread presence of these persistent chemicals and the urgent need for continued monitoring, exposure reduction, and targeted regulatory action.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are also known as ‘forever chemicals’, because they don’t break down easily and can persist in the environment, including drinking water supplies.

PFAS chemicals are inert, water-repellent and heat-resistant. These properties make them ideal for industrial usage and they have been used in firefighting foams and fire-retardant material. They have also been used in common household items, such as nonstick pans and stain-resistant fabrics.

PFAS has been phased out in Australia since 2000. But because they persist in the environment, people are still exposed to them. We periodically monitor PFAS levels in people and the latest ABS data on PFAS in Australians has been released.

The ABS found widespread PFAS in people. Three types of PFAS were detected in the blood of over 85 per cent of the population, while six types were detected in less than 10 per cent of people. The remaining 2 types of PFAS had detection rates between 15% and 45%. This is unsurprising as PFAS has been consistently found in humans for decades.

But this is actually good news, as it confirms that the fall in PFAS chemicals seen in Australians since the phase out began in 2000 has continued.

In 2017, two of the most concerning PFAS’s, perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), were present at serum concentrations of 7.26 ng/ml (PFOS) and 2.5 ng/ml (PFOA) from >60-year-olds. In this latest data, serum concentrations of 3.19 ng/ml (PFOS) and 1.17 ng/ml (PFOA) from >60-year-olds.

While the levels of PFAS increase with age, all age groups had lower PFAS levels than in 2017.

What does this mean for health? PFAS chemicals are highly fat-soluble compounds and have the potential to mimic the body’s own fats. There has been concern they could harm our health if sufficient amounts accumulated in the body. Currently, there is insufficient scientific evidence to link any current or future health problems to the PFAS levels found in the general population.

The 2021 PFAS Health Study suggested that levels for older people of PFOS of 11.03 ng/ml or greater and PFOA of 4.13 ng/ml or greater could be considered elevated. However, this study was unable to link these levels to health problems (beyond increased anxiety due to knowing of elevated levels).

As the values in the ABS study are below these ‘elevated’ levels, it is unlikely that there are any health implications for these values and the continuing falls in PFAS is encouraging.

At first glance, this headline might sound alarming, but we need to look at it in context. While it is great to have some baseline data on PFAS in the Australian population, the simple detection of PFAS (or any other potential toxin) does not mean anything by itself.

Today's analytical equipment is so sensitive that we can detect almost anything anywhere, but just because something is present in tiny amounts does not automatically mean it is causing harm. The first rule of toxicology club is 'the dose makes the poison'. Anything can be toxic if you are exposed to enough of it, even water. For example, if I drink one glass of wine, it will likely do nothing, but if I drink one bottle of wine every day for a year, it will severely impact my health; It is the same wine, just different amounts.

The real question we should ask is: 'Are PFAS present in our blood at high enough concentrations to cause harm? ' The answer for most of us is no. We don’t have any strong evidence that the concentrations most people are exposed to are sufficient to cause an issue. While there are some groups/communities where there has been high enough exposure to PFAS to warrant further study, these are relatively rare, and PFAS concentrations in blood have decreased significantly in recent years. So while in an ideal world there would be no PFAS in anyone’s blood, the detection of very, very small amounts of some PFAS in some people is not a reason to panic.

Almost every molecule of PFAS that has ever been synthesised is still with us in PFAS form. Some do break down – but mostly into new PFAS. Many of these molecules contaminate soil, waterways, food, the atmosphere, rainfall, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals, including humans.

PFAS are synthetic chemicals, most of which have never occurred naturally on planet Earth. For millions of years, our ancestors were never exposed to them, but now they occur at measurable concentrations in the blood of 99% of Australians aged 12 years and over. While the public health implications remain highly uncertain, the mere presence of these chemicals in our blood should cause us to consider the importance of much better management of environmental contaminants.

The fact that we have allowed our planet to become so thoroughly contaminated points to a significant failing of environmental management. Widespread contamination of food, water, dust and people was not inevitable and could have been avoided with robust risk assessment and risk management. Political and social preferences for avoiding red-tape, which might impede commercial and economic opportunities, are ultimately to blame for this pollution. 

In 2024, it was determined that it would cost more than the global GDP to remove PFAS from the global environment at the rate we are continuing to add them right now.

Australia must take steps to reduce the likelihood of similar chemical pollution problems occurring in future. Proper and thorough risk assessment would have revealed the ‘forever chemical’ nature of PFAS at the time they were first introduced to products used in Australia. Ideally, this would have occurred in the country of origin, however, other countries cannot be relied upon to properly assess and control the chemical products they produce and export. There has clearly been very little ‘environmental protection’ delivered by the flailing US Environmental Protection Agency. Australian authorities must be much more proactive in assessing and regulating future incoming chemicals and chemical residues.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) constitute a class of over 14,000 chemicals that have been used extensively in a range of consumer and industrial products since the 1950s, including in fire-fighting foam, given their exceptional interfacial properties and stability. As such, PFAS contamination to the environment is through a wide range of activities, including firefighting activities, stormwater, landfills, wastewater treatment plants and land application of biosolids. Given our widespread use of PFAS, it has been pervasive in our day-to-day lives for decades, it is unsurprising that it is widespread at detectable concentrations in Australians. This is consistent with other parts of the world (e.g., the United States and Europe).
 
Our study, published earlier last year in Nature Geoscience, investigated the global extent of PFAS in our surface and groundwaters.  As PFAS are not naturally occurring, any PFAS found in the environment was introduced from a wide range of consumer and industrial products, including aqueous film-forming foams (i.e., firefighting foam). Our study found that while Australia has no PFAS manufacturing facilities, there are a number of highly contaminated PFAS sites from firefighting activities. We show that a significant fraction of sampled surface and groundwater throughout the world exceeds PFAS drinking water guidance values.