Community calls on Department of Defence to expand PFAS testing zone in Richmond

It's been only six months since Liana Baker purchased her dream home on a tranquil patch of land in Richmond, north-west of Sydney. PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals", were widely used in firefighting foams at defence force bases across Australia for decades until 2004. "Defence will consider requests for sampling from a landowner with property within or close to PFAS management areas," a Defence spokesperson said. PFAS chemicals 'quite mobile' Water expert and UNSW Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stuart Khan, said it was "very likely" flooding would have caused PFAS to spread even further in the area as the substance is "quite mobile" in the environment. Costly class action settlement In May, the federal government settled a class action over PFAS contamination from firefighting foam at seven Department of Defence military bases across Australia, including Richmond.