Every activity has an associated level of risk. There is no bridge with zero risk of collapse, no playground with zero risk of injury and no food or air with zero risk of cancer-causing chemicals. If we take the word “safe” to mean “zero risk”, there is no safe bridge to cross, no safe playground, no safe food to eat and no safe air to breath. We could adopt this view but it won’t improve our quality of life.
Reports of chemical contaminants in some Sydney water supplies have recently raised concerns for human health. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are sometimes called “forever chemicals” as they are difficult to destroy (compared with compounds such as sugar or protein, which are easier for the environment or the human body to break down). The PFAS currently in focus are perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) and perfluorohexane sulphonate (PFHxS).
