Environment
Contaminated Land - PFAS
What are PFAS?
Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of synthetic chemicals widely used in commercial and industrial products for their physical, chemical, and biological resistant qualities. Over the last 50 years, PFAS have been used in common products, such as carpets, cookware, clothing, food packaging, pesticides, stain repellents, firefighting foams, mist suppressants, and coatings.
Firefighting services at Adelaide Airport are provided by Airservices Australia – an Australian Government owned organisation. Firefighting foam used at Adelaide Airport, and airports nationwide, since the early 1970s contained PFAS, however was discontinued in 2010.
PFAS National Environment Management Plan
In response to growing focus on PFAS, the PFAS National Environment Management Plan (NEMP) was developed to provide a nationally consistent approach to managing PFAS contamination in the environment.
The PFAS NEMP provides environmental guidelines values for soil and water for various land use types. Where PFAS concentrations are below the guidelines value relevant for the study area, risk of exposure may be considered low and acceptable.
Commonwealth PFAS Airports Investigation Program
In 2021, the Commonwealth Government launched the Airports Investigation Program (AIP), allocating $130.5 million to investigate PFAS contamination at 37 civilian airports where it had historically provided firefighting services which used PFAS-containing foams.
The program aims to assess the nature and extent of PFAS contamination through comprehensive, independently audited site-wide testing and to develop robust management plans to address any identified risks.
Whilst airport participation in the program is voluntary, both Adelaide and Parafield Airports were enrolled. To stay informed as the program progresses, visit the Australian
For further information
Contact the PFAS hotline on 1800 531 899