Three PFAS chemicals banned this week

The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) welcomes the agreed national ban on three per and poly fluoroalkyl substances – PFOA, PFOS and PFHxS – that has come into effect this week.

Under the new chemical scheduling as part of Australia’s Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management Standard (IChEMS), the three PFAS chemicals will be banned from future import, export and manufacture, and new limits have been set for disposal.

This is in addition to a number of other high-risk chemicals that are listed in international conventions such as the Stockholm Convention or designated as the highest risk rating by the Commonwealth.  

States will now implement these IChEMS rules in their own jurisdictions. 

In NSW, IChEMS and the chemical register is administered under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act. The EPA’s Environment Protection Licenses will authorise the use and manufacture of high-risk chemicals so that controls are in place to protect people and the environment.  

We will be working with the Commonwealth and our state counterparts, and will take a staged approach in the coming weeks and months to ensure that stakeholders are aware of their obligations and consulted on any changes.

This includes working with industry, such as retailers, to phase-in the rules across NSW.

The EPA will also consider licensing requirements on facilities such as landfills and Sewage Treatment Plants for the management of PFAS-impacted leachate and waste. 

Since 2017, the NSW PFAS Investigation Program has assessed more than 1,110 sites where significant quantities of PFAS had been used in the past.

We have also participated in 84 community information sessions across NSW and delivered tailored advice to over 2,000 residents. 

IChEMS is an important piece of federal and state legislation that will support the continuing reduction of PFAS and other environmentally hazardous chemicals being used in Australia, reducing exposure pathways and environmental levels over time.