Firefighting chemicals found at 12 bases

Defence's preliminary sampling program to test for firefighting foam contaminants have detected chemicals at 12 defence bases.

Chemical contaminants from firefighting foam have been detected in groundwater or surface water or both at 12 defence bases, but only at three did quantities exceed interim screening levels.

Reports of Defence's preliminary sampling program released on Tuesday show RAAF Townsville was the only base where levels of PFOS and PFOA compounds were found in ground and surface water and exceeded screening levels.

The latest data doesn't include RAAF Base Williamtown in NSW and the Oakey Army Aviation base in Queensland, where significant levels of the chemicals have already been detected.


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Source: AAP


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