Officials insist Sydney's tap water is safe to drink despite probable cancer-causing "forever chemicals" being found at levels exceeding overseas standards. or signup to continue reading Sampling of treated water - including at the city's main reservoir of Warragamba Dam - revealed six sites with detectable levels of synthetic chemical compounds known as PFAS. Such chemicals are found in everyday appliances from non-stick pans to clothing, insecticides and food packaging.
Once in the environment, they don't degrade further, earning them the nickname "forever chemicals". In April, the US Environmental Protection Agency found there was "no safe level of exposure" of two classes of PFAS chemicals in drinking water and they were likely to cause cancer. Sydney Water testing conducted in June and published online without further notification shows one group of the chemicals was found in filtered water from Warragamba, albeit on the cusp of detectable levels.
Two other groups of the chemicals tested were undetectable at Warragamba, which supplies 80 per cent of Sydney's drinking water. Each result was below Australian drinking water standards, however those guidelines have been criticised as being out of date. The United States recently set an enforceable threshold of four nanograms per litre, close to current detection levels.
The National Health and Medical Research Council, which shapes Australia's water rules, is reviewing its guidelines relating to the chemicals. NSW Health pro.