Just saw this news today. I wonder if the cancer causing chemical has been an existing issue, or they only discovered it now?
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14248549/tower-beach-sydney-airport-pfas-chemicals.html
Maybe the author of this story is a windsurfer and keen to get parking for a go at the airport.
I'd love to try it there.
Whilst no form of pollution is good news, this is a typical tabloid click-bait story. First, the beach isn't closed as per the headline. Whilst I haven't seen them myself (as I haven't looked), it appears there are signs saying you should not swim in the water. So the water is 'closed', not the beach. Ingesting the chemicals is the issue, not being in contact with them. So going on the beach is not dangerous. Swallowing lots of sea water is probably not a good idea, for this and a host of other reasons. There are plenty of pathogens in the form of various enterococci in the sea that would make you very sick or could kill you within days if were you unfortunate enough to get infected. Plus the heavy metal pollution in Sydney harbour makes it one of THE most polluted estuaries in the world. Given it's tidal, a percentage of this will get washed into the open sea. Second, the chemicals concerned have been 'linked' to cancer, there is not yet proof they are cancer inducing. The source is almost certainly fire-fighting foam used at Sydney airport that has leeched into the local water sources.
Botany Bay always has and always will be the most polluted body of water in Sydney. From toxic ground water on foreshore road to the toxic cocktail coming out of Cooks River after every rain. Never mind the Sewer outfall at Bondi which adds to the problems if the wind direction is right. I think PFAS is the least of your problems.
Select to expand quoteMrBlean said..
Whilst no form of pollution is good news, this is a typical tabloid click-bait story. First, the beach isn't closed as per the headline. Whilst I haven't seen them myself (as I haven't looked), it appears there are signs saying you should not swim in the water. So the water is 'closed', not the beach. Ingesting the chemicals is the issue, not being in contact with them. So going on the beach is not dangerous. Swallowing lots of sea water is probably not a good idea, for this and a host of other reasons. There are plenty of pathogens in the form of various enterococci in the sea that would make you very sick or could kill you within days if were you unfortunate enough to get infected. Plus the heavy metal pollution in Sydney harbour makes it one of THE most polluted estuaries in the world. Given it's tidal, a percentage of this will get washed into the open sea. Second, the chemicals concerned have been 'linked' to cancer, there is not yet proof they are cancer inducing. The source is almost certainly fire-fighting foam used at Sydney airport that has leeched into the local water sources.
Beach was closed last weekend for cleanup operation. Bobcat moving sand around and truck vacuum cleaner doing 'something'
And yes, I was also wondering if it was the firefighting chemicals.
Apparently, Homebush Bay near Olympic Park can never be thanks to Union Carbide.
Back in another life I worked on the Sydney Olympic Bid. I was drafting the masterplans. We were marketing ourselves as Green and Clean so didn't go through with a proposal of digging up the ground and putting it into concrete bunkers underground.
Never mind the toxic sludge coming out of Cook River every time it rains... and what about all the chemicals on Foreshore Road on the other side of the bay leaking through from across the road.
