New Zealand has work to do on PFAS
Standards fail to protect human health
By Pat Elder
October 26, 2024
New Zealand Coat of Arms
The New Zealand government must act more forcefully to protect human health from the dangers posed by per-and poly fluoroalkyl substances, (PFAS).
The government’s response to these human carcinogens has been inadequate. They are downplaying the threat, and they have established levels of permissible contamination that allow communities to be poisoned.
New Zealand is facing a great human health crisis. Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant should not be ingesting these chemicals, and neither should anyone else.
We will start by examining the exorbitant levels of PFAS in groundwater and surface water at the Ohakea Royal New Zealand Air Force Base. This provides a compelling case study.
The following analysis is in response to a report “PFAS Water Contamination” published July 7, 2023 by the government of New Zealand regarding PFAS contamination by the military at Ohakea Royal New Zealand Air Force Base, Ohakea RNZAF.
From the title of this report, PFAS Water Contamination, the public may be convinced that drinking water is the primary way we ingest these chemicals. Actually, most of the PFAS in our bodies is from the food we eat, especially the fish. In many areas, like military installations and industrial centers, the air and dust may pose a greater threat to human health than the drinking water. People with drinking water wells who live within a few miles of these locations are at severe risk, while the government of New Zealand is downplaying all of this.
My comments follow statements by the New Zealand government from the report.
New Zealand government: PFAS is an acronym for a group of chemical compounds known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. They are a class of man-made chemicals that have been used since the 1950s in the production of a wide range of products that resist heat, stains, grease, and water, including furniture protectants, floor wax and specialised firefighting foam. PFOS (perfluorooctane sulphonate), PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) and PFHxS (perfluorohexane sulphonic acid) are compounds in the PFAS family.
PFAS is an emerging issue following detection in soil and water on and around New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and other sites in New Zealand.
Military Poisons: PFAS is no longer an emerging issue anywhere! We know how dangerous these chemicals are. California classifies PFOS and PFOA, two kinds of PFAS, as deadly human carcinogens, warning that exposures in the tiniest amounts are potentially harmful.
PFAS are per-and poly fluoroalkyl substances. There are more than 16,000 of them. PFOS is Per fluoro octane sulfonate. PFOA is Per fluoro octanoic acid.
New Zealand government: This is a complex and sensitive issue for the people affected and for the wider community, so local and central government agencies are working closely together to ensure it is handled appropriately. The wellbeing of our communities is of the utmost importance.
Military Poisons: New Zealand government agencies are not handling the contamination appropriately. Human health is threatened by these chemicals in New Zealand. Once people understand more about the science behind these “forever chemicals” they’ll understand the horror. It cannot be overstated.
A well-established body of scientific research indicates that endocrine-disrupting chemicals like PFAS that are part of our daily lives are making us more susceptible to reproductive disorders, cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and other serious health conditions.
New Zealand government: The advice of health officials is that there is no acute health risk, but a precautionary approach is being taken because the long-term health effects are not certain. Specific health enquiries can be directed to your GP or Healthline 0800 611 116.
Military Poisons: The government is not taking necessary precautions, especially regarding the ingestion of these chemicals in food by women who are pregnant or may become pregnant. The long-term health effects are certain.
New Zealand government: If your property has been identified as being affected we encourage you to assume the offer of alternative drinking water and follow any health or food safety advice you have been given.
Military Poisons: It’s not just about the water. The food safety advice dispensed by the government endangers health. Let’s examine the concentration of various PFAS compounds analyzed by the government.
PFAS in groundwater and drinking water
Groundwater levels of PFAS
Royal New Zealand Air Force Base Ohakea
7 July, 2023 - Ohakea RNZAF
In parts per trillion, ppt.
The government of New Zealand has established a maximum level of 70 parts per trillion for the sum of PFOS and PFHxS in drinking water. PFOS and PFHxS total 14,900 ppt in the groundwater at Ohakea. The N..Z. government limits PFOA in drinking water to 560 ppt in drinking water, a dangerously high level.
Hopefully, no one is drinking this water or using it to irrigate crops or water farm animals. It’s frightening to consider that PFOS may travel many miles navigating through groundwater to surface water, contaminating the entire aquatic food chain forever.
PFOS and PFOA are the two deadliest PFAS compounds.
The U.S. Military warns farmers nationwide about PFAS contamination that threatens their livelihood ABC 7 Amarillo
The disturbing photo here shows hundreds of dead cows piled up on Art Schaap's dairy farm near Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. Schapp reported that his well water contained 500 parts per trillion of PFOA. Meanwhile, New Zealand allows 560 ppt of PFOA in drinking water for people.
PFOA was present at 1,000 ppt in groundwater at Ohakea. It is a staggering amount. PFOA is considered by many to be the deadliest of all 16,000 PFAS compounds. It’s been five years since Linda Birnbaum, head of the US National Institute of Environmental Health, warned that drinking water limits for PFOA ought to be under .1 part per trillion because of research linking tiny exposures of PFOA to pancreatic cancer.
Search the “Pub Chem” website of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. A search for PFOA shows there are 80 associated disorders and diseases.
Ask officials in several Japanese prefectures about PFOA in waters and soil near American military sites and microchip manufacturing plants. Ask them about their world-leading rates of pancreatic cancer. They are awakening to the danger, and they are finally taking steps to protect public health. It’s not happening in New Zealand.
The state of Maine shuts down drinking water wells if the sum total of these 6 compounds: PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS, PFNA, PFHpA and PFDA is greater than 20 parts per trillion in groundwater. At Ohakea these six total 17,290 ppt.
In October, 2024 the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) released new draft guidelines for acceptable levels of PFAS in drinking water. They are moving toward the American threshold of 4 ppt for PFOS.
See the comparisons of PFAS regulations between the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand.
In parts per trillion
Drinking water regulations in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand
New Zealand has some catching up to do in protecting public health from the scourge of PFAS.
Surface water is poisoned in New Zealand
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that marine life may bioaccumulate at 4,000 times the levels of PFOS in the water, creating dangerous concentrations in seafood. The state of Minnesota regulates some of its lakes at .05 ppt for PFOS while the European Union is trying to keep levels of PFOS under .65 ppt in inland surface waters.
Ohakea has surface water with a concentration of 1,800 ppt of PFOS. This is 36,000 times greater than the Minnesota limit, and 2,700 times the European limit.
Ohakea Surface Water Report 10/12/22 In parts per trillion, ppt.
7 July, 2023 - Ohakea RNZAF
Most of these compounds have been shown to bio accumulate in fish, although the New Zealand government has failed to report on their concentrations in fish. The accumulation of the toxins in fish and shellfish varies from species to species. With thousands of PFAS compounds and thousands of species of edible aquatic life, it’s impossible to keep track of it all. New Zealand isn’t doing a very good job protecting public health from the scourge of these chemicals.
1,800 ppt of PFOS in surface water is a disaster that will impact the health of many generations of New Zealanders to come. It means the sediment is poisoned forever. The astonishing levels of PFOS and PFHxS also poison the air.
A report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control on contamination at the Shepherd Field Air National Guard base in West Virginia showed that PFHxS and PFOS had the highest concentrations in groundwater and surface water on the base. The same is true at Ohakea.
The same two compounds also topped the list for concentrations in human blood serum and dust in the surrounding Martinsburg community. The dust in a home outside of the Shepherd Field base showed 16.4 million ppt of PFHxS and 13.9 million ppt of PFOS in the dust in people’s homes. Small children are endangered.
The New Zealand government must begin testing blood, air, and dust for PFAS near these military sites.
People living near military installations where these substances were recklessly used must not allow dust to become airborne when they clean their homes. Brooms and vacuums are out. Wet mops are in. Air filters must be changed regularly.
PFAS in Food
The European Food Safety Authority has concluded that “fish and other seafood” account for up to 86% of dietary PFAS exposure in adults. This single fact should drive New Zealand’s response toward protecting human health.
Food Standards Australia New Zealand, (FSANZ) has established tolerable daily intake amounts for selected PFAS: What does it mean? The government could do a better job explaining these things to the public at a mid - secondary school level.
Ng/kg bw/day means nanograms per kilogram of a person’s body weight per day. Let’s consider a vulnerable pregnant mom who weighs 50 kilos, (110 pounds).
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has set a safety threshold for four PFAS compounds: PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS, and PFNA that accumulate in the body. The group’s “tolerable weekly intake” is 4.4 nanograms per kilogram of body weight per week. Nanograms per kilogram (ng/kg) is the same thing as parts per trillion.
So, according to this guideline, an expectant mom weighing 50 kilos can safely consume 220 nanograms of the combined total of four PFAS per week. (4.4 ng x 50 kg = 220 nanograms per week) Many scientists argue that the European standard of 4.4 ng/kg fails to protect human health and that pregnant mothers should not be ingesting any level of the carcinogenic toxins. It does makes sense..
New Zealand’s standard for PFOA is 160 ng/kg bw/day, so, New Zealand’s weekly intake for PFOA is 1,120 ng/kg.
The New Zealand standard is 254 times over the European threshold. (1,120 ng/kg / 4.4 ng/kg).
PFOA is on California’s Proposition 65 list because it can cause birth defects and other reproductive harm. Exposure to PFOA during pregnancy may affect the development of the child. PFOA is also on the Proposition 65 list because it can cause cancer.
New Zealand has not provided the public with test results from a serious, comprehensive fish testing regime. Instead, the country has produced several dozen partial sets of results in a few locations. New Zealand has a lot of work to do. For instance, Michigan tests a thousand fish for 40 PFAS compounds every year. Studies have found the average fish contains 80,000 parts per trillion (ppt) of PFOS.
The Fairhall River drains the area where PFAS-laden foams were used from the runaway at RNZAF Base Woodbourne. This is how it works around the world. The Fairhall River flows northeast 1.5 kilometers and empties into the Ōpaoa River that flows about 12 kilometers to the Cook Strait. Little fish are eaten by bigger fish.
We have some data from fish samples taken from RNZAF Base Woodbourne, RNZAF Base Ohahea and RNZAF Base Devonport and it is quite alarming.
The average PFOS concentration of fish analyzed from the Fairhall River shown above was 210,000 ppt. One fish had 330,000 ppt of PFOS. Eel liver was found to have 640,000 ppt of PFOS. We don’t know the levels of the other PFAS compounds. The total concentrations of other PFAS compounds may be greater than the level of PFOS. There’s a lot New Zealanders do not know.
The Ministry of Primary Industries’ consumption advice is that children should not consume fish from the creek and adult consumption should be limited to one serving per month. RNZAF Base Woodbourne, 2019
Fish roe from Brown Trout in the Taylor River nearby had 80,000 ppt of PFOS.
A carp outside of Ohakea was found with 81,000 ppt of PFOS
The average PFOS concentration of fish in Makowhai Stream was 45,000 ppt of PFOS. The stream drains from the runway at Ohakea and empties into the Rangitikei River which flows into the Tasman Sea at Tangimoana Beach.
Just offshore of the Devonport Naval Base, horn shells, a kind of crustacean, contained 300,000 ppt of the sum total of PFOS and PFHxS. Cats Eyes had 56,000 ppt of the two. Table 10 NZDF Devonport
Humans don’t eat horn shells, but these creatures are eaten by fish, seabirds, dolphins, porpoises, and fur seals. The undigestible shell is defecated or regurgitated and rises to the surface of the water, floating atop the ocean until they wash ashore on a beach. Deep Sea News. Studies around the world have documented frightening levels of PFAS in all of these animals.
Press coverage is lacking
A recent report by Radio New Zealand, “High levels of toxic 'forever chemicals' detected at NZDF's Woodbourne base” leaves out important aspects of the story. The article says PFHxS/PFOS levels reported in groundwater at Woodbourne are four times higher than NZ guidelines, and this is true, but the NZDF document cited, Woodbourne Long-term PFAS Monitoring barely scratches the surface of the contamination.
The NZDF report shows a combination of PFOS and PFHxS at 310 parts per trillion. The NZ guideline for these two compounds combined is 70 parts per trillion, so, yes, the 310 ppt is 4 times above the guideline.
But they are not reporting from the worst locations, and they are not reporting on all of the deadly compounds. They are also not telling the public in this release the depths of the testing. Super shallow tests may show exceptionally low amounts while deep testing may also show super low levels. The highest levels may be somewhere in between.
Radio New Zealand, like mainstream media in Washington, DC - Brunswick, Maine - Dublin, Ireland - Kaiserslautern, Germany - Iwakuni, Japan - and Honolulu, Hawaii - are not telling the whole story. They are told what to report and they typically don’t color outside the lines.
See the PFAS groundwater results reported by the RNZAF Base Woodbourne in 2019.
Five years ago, the government reported a total of 7,829 ppt of total PFAS and 2,660 ppt of PFOS and PFHxS combined. That’s 38 times over the arbitrary and irresponsible level of 70 ppt established by the government. Radio New Zealand ought to dig a little deeper with its stories on PFAS.
Although there are currently no enforceable levels for PFAS in foods, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Guidelines are provided in the table below. MPI advises that fish should be thoroughly gutted prior to consumption as fish livers can contribute to higher concentrations of PFOS than other edible tissues.
Ministry for Primary Industries
The guidelines here say adults may consume an unlimited number of fish containing up to 15,000 ppt of PFOS.
It says adults should be OK eating a single fish containing 250,000 ppt of PFOS in a month. This doesn’t make sense, especially considering Australia’s recent decision to regulate the same substance in water at 4 ppt.
Asked if there is a difference between eating or drinking PFAS compounds, America’s former top toxicologist Linda Birnbaum explained, “No. Both are routes of ingestion. Whether you eat it or drink it, PFAS go to the same places in the body and do the same thing. We need appropriate fish advisories and regulations.”
The Downs Law Group helps to make this work possible. Their support allows us to research and write about military contamination around the world. They’ve helped us buy hundreds of PFAS kits and they’ve helped pay for flights and hotels. The firm is working to provide legal representation to individuals in the U.S. and abroad with a high likelihood of exposure to a host of contaminants.
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