SYDNEY, May 30 (Xinhua) -- The environmental authority in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) has taken action against chemicals giant 3M after "forever chemicals" were detected at a testing site.
The NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) said on Friday that it issued a clean-up notice to 3M Australia after per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were identified in soil, sediment, and water across 100 hectares of the inactive quarry site in Brogans Hill, 150 km northwest of Sydney.
The EPA said the limestone quarry site was historically leased by 3M Australia from 1980-2000 to test firefighting foams containing PFAS, a group of over 4,000 chemicals commonly known as "forever chemicals" because of their persistence in the environment and human body.
David Gathercole, director of operations at the NSW EPA, said in a statement that it was the first time that the agency had taken action against 3M Australia, which is a subsidiary of the U.S.-based multinational 3M Company.
"This is a significant moment for the EPA and one that represents an important milestone in our efforts to address legacy environmental harm," he said.
In addition to the PFAS contamination identified at the quarry, the EPA said that forever chemicals were detected above the national drinking water guidelines up to eight km downstream of the site, including in a national park.
Under the clean-up notice, 3M Australia has 60 days to submit a detailed plan to the EPA outlining how it will assess the pollution and manage associated risks.
Gathercole said the company has so far been cooperative and voluntarily offered to conduct investigations into the nature of PFAS contamination at the quarry site.
If the company fails to comply with the clean-up notice, it faces a maximum fine of two million Australian dollars (1.26 million U.S. dollars) as well as a further 240,000 Australian dollars (151,200 U.S. dollars) for each day the offense continues. ■
