Toxic PFAS foam stockpiled in open Victorian CFA area

Victoria - date of event 7 December 2022

​Victorian and Federal Government pretend they are managing PFAS stockpiles but photo evidence reveals workplace negligence and continued ongoing mismanagement to reduce potential PFAS exposures.
An old Country Fire Authority (CFA) shed in Plenty, Victoria (Australia) was to be demolished, ground levelled and one metre of topsoil spread across the surface to create a new peri-urban green wedge in Nillumbik Shire.
But, it was very disturbing to receive photos late Wednesday 7 December 2022 showing bottles (both empty & full) of the toxic PFOA and PFOS Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) out in the open, accessible to anyone walking by with no barriers erected around the site. As a concentrate, AFFF is toxic and deadly.
The issue was first reported to a state trash newspaper early Thursday 8 December 2022 to expose but mismanagement & toxic chemicals is not on their radar. 
The EPA and WorkSafe Victoria were contacted via email late Thursday afternoon with no action. At least a fence had eventually been erected by the contractors on the Thursday.
​At 1.30pm Friday afternoon, the AFFF was still visible & still accessible so a follow up complaint was reported to WorkSafe Victoria who eventually actioned the complaint.
  • Why are there stockpiles of AFFF toxic PFAS foam in an old CFA shed?
  • Why were the AFFF just stockpiled in a public space?
  • Which agency is responsible for auditing this chemical and safe disposal?
  • Is/was the stockpile of chemicals to be poured down the drain?
  • If AFFF was used at the CFA site has there been testing for legacy PFAS contamination similar to the Fiskville site
  • Have the local waterways been tested for PFOS and PFOA?
The following pictures reveal THERE IS stockpiling of AFFF in contradiction to what governments believe and what the MFB and CFA state publicly in their submission here to Federal Inquiry- Remediation of PFAS-related impacts, ongoing scrutiny and review.
​Some random comments from the submission below.
  • The Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) and the Country Fire Authority (CFA) have phased out the use of persistent PFAS-containing firefighting foams across their respective operations.
  • Both the MFB and CFA no longer use PFAS-containing persistent firefighting foams.
  • MFB and CFA no longer procure or permit the use of persistent PFAS foams in their respective operations.
  • A disposal plan for waste fluorinated foam concentrate containing PFOS, PFOA, their precursors and their higher homologues (at greater levels than those in Table 1) must be prepared. This plan must include management measures to secure and prevent release of the material until arrangements are made for final disposal. Fluorinated foam concentrate and its wastes must be disposed of at an approved facility. Such foams must not be used in training, maintenance, testing or other activities that may result in their release to the environment on or off the user’s site.
A full bottle of toxic AFFF that should not exist at a CFA site in Plenty ​​
The concern was whether a sink full of AFFF was to be disposed and tipped down the sink drain
WorkSafe Victoria provided a follow up email of their action a week later which was appreciated but I had to email EPA Victoria if they had completed their own investigation and what was the outcome. I received a response but as of 28/01/23 I am still waiting for the outcome from EPA.

Response from epa Victoria

WorkSafe Victoria response

On informing a senior EPA Victoria bureaucrat of the event, it's a real concern when I get a sarcastic comment, "Is it illegal to have PFAS?"
The answer is no, it's not illegal but challenged where was the concern about potential release to the environment as that is EPA's remit. When there is a whole raft of regulations that Victorian and Commonwealth Acts are not updating or deliberately not recognising the seriousness of PFAS exposures then it becomes clear that our Victorian and National regulators don't believe or consider the public and workers worthy of legislated protections. SO WHO ARE EPA PROTECTING???
Problems relate to-
  • OH&S Act (state and national) and respective regulations,
  • EPA Act and regulations including industrial waste disposal,
  • human health screening and risk assessments,
  • non ratifications of PFOS/PFOA/PFHxS​ under the Stockholm Convention.
Our regulators are a disgrace being both negligent and irresponsible.
Therefore, there can be no effective ​assessments for environmental risk management, human health and worker exposure safeguards.