PFAS contamination: Katherine mango farmer seeks compensation from Defence
/ By Nancy NotzonA Northern Territory mango farmer is one of hundreds of Australians seeking compensation from the Defence Department after learning chemical contamination in his water supply is almost 66 times over the deemed safe limit for drinking water.
Patrick Fordham's small mango farm just outside the town of Katherine has been his livelihood for the past 20 years.
It is near RAAF Base Tindal, which once used firefighting foam containing PFAS chemicals which have now seeped into Katherine's bores and drinking supply.
Katherine is one of several PFAS-affected sites around the country, with Defence admitting it should have warned the public years earlier about the contamination.
Defence has said the cost to clean up the problem will cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and hundreds of people, including Mr Fordham, are seeking compensation.
Mr Fordham said he has been speaking with a Defence representative.
"I asked about the mangoes, and he said, 'that's OK, as long as you don't eat too many of them'.
"I said, 'hang on, I do this for a living', and he said, 'well, you can go online and fill in a compensation claim if you like'."
Loading...'He didn't seem to think there was a problem'
Mr Fordham thought the tests done by Defence showed the levels of PFAS chemicals in his water supply, including his bore which irrigates his mangoes, were up to 0.4 micrograms per litre, about six times over the accepted limit for drinking water.
"He didn't seem to think there was a problem," Mr Fordham said.
It was not until he went through his paperwork from Defence that Mr Fordham realised how bad the contamination of his property was.
The documents show his home tank has a PFAS level of 4.6 micrograms a litre — nearly 66 times the deemed safe limit for drinking water.
The bore that irrigates his mangoes is not far behind, with a reading of 4.2.
Samples taken from soil and mango plants
"Of course I'm worried. I thought it was only 0.4, or 0.3 [that] came out of the tap and 0.4 out of the bore," Mr Fordham said.
PFAS can bioaccumulate in plants, but there's currently no specific regulatory limit for the chemicals in food, with authorities saying there is not enough information about levels found in the general food supply.
Mr Fordham has now applied for compensation and hired a lawyer.
Defence has taken samples of his soil and mango plants, but he has not yet received the results.
He has also spoken to the Department of Primary Industry and Resources, which recommended that people "should not source all of their dietary requirements from impacted areas to limit the potential for elevated accumulation".
"As fruit enters the market, the potential for a subsequent individual to be exposed to levels exceeding the TDI [recommended limit] becomes negligible, which is why controls have not been required," the Department said.
Mr Fordham has been trying to sell his property for some time but now with PFAS in his water system, he is afraid he will never be able to.
"The market is flat, I understand that, but this doesn't help — this PFAS, you know — people coming here buying a property that the water's been poisoned and contaminated."
Animals tested for PFAS, but not people
Jan de Beer, who owns a property a few minutes' drive away from Mr Fordham, said Defence had also been testing on his property, taking blood samples from his cows and the goats he eats.
"So far as I know, I'm the only one where they have done it," Mr de Beer said, adding that Defence did not say why they were taking the samples, and he does not know the results.
But while animals are being tested for PFAS, humans in Katherine are not, unlike those in affected areas in NSW and Queensland.
The town's drinking supply — a mix of river and contaminated bore water — is currently being kept within accepted limits with water restrictions.
Katherine Community Radio host Bill Daw, who has lived in the town for 30 years, is so concerned about the quantity of PFAS chemicals he may have consumed over the years that he is trying to get a blood test done himself.
"It's going to cost in excess of $500 for me to personally get a blood test to see what my PFAS levels are in my system," he said.
"I probably won't be able to afford that."
The Defence Department has told the ABC its voluntary blood testing program is being conducted in conjunction with an epidemiological study.
It said it was focused on other PFAS-affected communities in Williamtown in NSW and Oakey in Queensland because the extent of contamination and exposure pathways in those regions were well understood, while the extent of contamination at other sites — including Katherine — was still being determined.
It is yet to respond to further questions from the ABC.