Residents living in the Williamtown Red Zone are experiencing mental health problems at a significantly higher rate than in the wider community, a landmark health study into the health impacts of PFAS contamination has found.
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But the long-awaited government-funded study failed to find conclusive, causative links between PFAS exposure and other adverse health outcomes, a finding that many Red Zone residents dispute.
"The jury is still out on these chemicals," study lead Professor Martyn Kirk said.
"They last for a long time in the environment and in humans. There are many studies going on in the US and this study will contribute to the overall understanding of the health impacts of PFAS."
The Australian National University-led research team, which included international experts on epidemiology, environmental chemistry, cancer, and statistics, examined the health impacts of PFAS exposure in Williamtown, Katherine and Oakey.
It found there was clear evidence of elevated blood serum concentrations of PFAS in residents and workers in the PFAS-affected communities and of increased psychological distress in the three exposed communities.
"The main factors associated with people having higher levels of PFAS in their blood were the length of time they had lived in the town, whether they regularly drank bore water or ate locally-grown foods and if they had worked with firefighting foams in the past," Professor Kirk said.
"In exposed communities, one third of people reported being 'very' or 'extremely' concerned about their health, including one in five people who had serious concerns about their mental health."
The team also identified an association between higher PFAS levels in blood and higher cholesterol in affected communities.
But the overall evidence for other adverse health outcomes was limited.
For the majority of health outcomes studied, findings were consistent with previous studies that have not conclusively identified causative links between PFAS and health.
"Based on health records collected over many years, we noted higher rates of some health conditions in individual PFAS-affected communities, compared to communities without known PFAS contamination," Associate Professor Rosemary Korda, a data linkage expert, said.
Excessive bleeding during childbirth, pregnancy-induced hypertension, kidney cancer, and lung cancer were among the conditions found to be specific to Williamtown.
Death rates from coronary heart disease were elevated in Oakey and Williamtown compared to comparison areas.
"However, we can't rule out that these findings were due to chance or important factors that we couldn't measure," Associate Professor Korda said.
Red Zone residents Jenny Robinson and Rob Roseworne described the report as "disappointing" and "more of the same".
"We are so far behind the international research about the health impacts of PFAS exposure it's ridiculous," Ms Robinson said.
"If there are no health impacts why won't the banks lend us money? Why is Defence spending $100 million on cleaning it up.
"They have spent a lot of money on a report that doesn't say much."
Mr Roseworne said many people in the Red Zone were wary of accessing government-funded mental health services.
"The mental health service that we were offered was not a safe option; we were told that anything we said in those sessions would not be treated confidentially and would be passed on to the Department of Defence," he said.
Fullerton Cove resident Lindsay Clout said the report had helped debunk the myth that there were no health impacts associated with PFAS.
"We know there are health impacts and this study is a good first step towards proving that," he said.
He said it was disappointing that the study's data range did not go beyond 2018.
"The 2021 US EPA report on PFAS exposure points to a growing body of evidence that proves PFAS is harmful to human health," he said.
The report shows that PFAS may lead to decreased fertility, high blood pressure, developmental delays in children, increased risk of some cancers, a reduced immune system and increased cholesterol levels.
Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said the study was an important step in better understanding PFAS exposure and potential health effects in Australia.
"The consistency of the findings of the ANU study with previous studies that have not identified direct links between PFAS and adverse health outcomes is encouraging," he said.
This study is the first significant piece of Australian research of this kind and we thank all those individuals who participated."
Paterson MP Meryl Swanson said the report did nothing to alleviate the community's ongoing pain.
"On Wednesday Defence held yet another community information session promising to keep communications lines open and to continue to clean up process," she said.
"The people who attended on that day were tired, emotional and sick of the platitudes being offered by the Morrison government.
"The ANU report doesn't reveal anything we didn't already know and to be frank does nothing to relieve the real and identified anxieties of the residents of Williamtown."
Liberal candidate for Paterson Brooke Vitnell said she had seen the mental health impacts of the PFAS scandal first-hand .
"As someone who has helped to run a mental health charity locally, I absolutely understand the importance of ensuring there are proper and adequate mental health supports in place for these families," she said.
"It's important that we take politics out of the issue. I won't be using these communities to make political points.
"It's important we focus on increasing the reactiveness of government authorities to the concerns of the local community.
"Five days after being announced as the candidate I sat down with some residents impacted by PFAS to discuss their concerns and the way forward"
Red Zone residents whose lives have been devastated by PFAS contamination recently gave evidence about their lived experiences to the PFAS sub-committee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade.
In addition to the mental and physical health challenges of living in the Red Zone, many residents have become financial lepers.
He said many residents had become "financial lepers" due to their inability to borrow from financial institutions.
In a further blow, Red Zone residents who had been hopeful that their land would be acquired for the state government's special activation precinct, which was initially touted as a 'positive permanent solution' were recently advised the project's footprint would be much smaller than initially thought.
Defence Minister Peter Dutton acknowledged the "difficult" situation during a recent visit to the Williamtown RAAF base.
"It's a very difficult time for a number of landholders. I acknowledge that," Mr Dutton said. "We will continue to work very closely with members of the community. We acknowledge that it's a difficult issue in relation to property prices and health concerns that people have."
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Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
