“The failure to properly monitor these forever chemicals in our water supply has put the health of the Blue Mountains population at risk. It has put our tourist visitors at risk,” Dee said.

“This failure in the duty of care towards the public is appalling.”

WaterNSW revealed on Wednesday that Medlow Dam has been taken offline after it was found to contain elevated levels of the PFAS,exceeding both Australian and more stringent US safety standards.

Raw water from the dam is fed into other dams and diluted before it reaches the Cascade Water Filtration Plant,which supplies tap water to more than 49,000 Blue Mountains residents and millions of tourists who visit the region’s world-famous peaks.

Testing in June showed levels of forever chemicals in the tap water fell within Australia’s drinking water guidelines.

However,they were about quadruple what the US will permit its citizens to be exposed to,after it concluded there wasno safe level of the “probable carcinogens”.

‘What we don’t want to end up with is a potential cancer cluster in the Blue Mountains for people like me and my family and my friends.’

Jon Dee

Dee called on the Australian government to immediately adopt the US safety thresholds,which experts say are based on the most comprehensive scientific evaluation of forever chemicals ever undertaken by a global health authority.

The US considered more than 130 studies that didn’t exist when Australia finalised its guidelines in 2018.

America is ground-zero of the global forever chemicals crisis as the home of chemical giant 3M,which is accused ofmasterminding a decades-long campaign to hide the dangers of its stain-repellent and water-proofing products from the world.

A review of Australia’s guidelines is expected to be completed next year.

Dee was incensed by what he perceived as attempts by the NSW government to play down the matter.

“I think essentially the authorities are gaslighting the public by trying to make them think there’s nothing to worry about,” Dee said.

“We should take the precautionary principle and ensure the water quality is meeting the US standard because that’s the world’s best standard.”

Dee called on Premier Chris Minns to take personal charge of the matter.

“If the Minns government cannot guarantee this,then my view is that a class action should be launched against Sydney Water or WaterNSW.

“What we don’t want to end up with is a potential cancer cluster in the Blue Mountains for people like me and my family and my friends.”

Minister grilled

NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe was grilled in parliament on Thursday by Greens MLC Cate Faehrmann about the discrepancies between US and Australian standards.

Sharpe pointed out it was a matter for the federal government and was currently being dealt with by a National Health and Medical Research Council review.

“So I am aware of it,and I am concerned,of course,but we’re taking steps in relation to that,and it’s just going to take a little bit of time,” she said.

Asked on Thursday how concerned he was about the discovery of the chemicals in Medlow Dam,NSW Health Minister Ryan Park said he was confident that agencies would do stringent work to monitor the situation.

Park added he believed Sydney’s drinking water was “the best drinking water on the globe”.

In June,Sydney’s drinking water supply was also found to contain trace levels of PFAS,but readings were within Australia’s safety thresholds.

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