In July 2015, a researcher based in South Australia forwarded information to Friends of the Earth regarding non-microbiological detections in drinking water across Tasmania during 2013-14.
The information was sourced via Right to Information legislation. FoE sent a message back to the researcher stating that the data provided by TasWater appeared to be incomplete and in some cases inaccurate.
FoE suggested that the researcher, write back to TasWater and clarify why inaccurate information was supplied. It took a process lasting 3 months for most of the corrected data to be finally sent through by TasWater.
The data revealed that the substances of most concern to Tasmanian’s are: Lead, Aluminium and chlorine disinfection by-products. At least 3000 Tasmanian’s regularly are exposed to high levels of these substances through their drinking water.
As many as 20,000 Tasmanians were exposed to high levels at least once during 2013-14. Guideline levels exist for lead and disinfection by-products, but no health guideline is currently available in Australia for aluminium.
Aluminium at levels above 0.5mg/L have been linked with Alzheimers disease, however the science is still being debated. The town of Queenstown recorded a level 10 times higher than 0.5mg/L during 2013-14, yet the highest aluminium average during 2013-14 was at Strahan where the average level during the year was over double the level of concern.
The lead in the drinking water is coming from two sources, old plumbing infrastructure and contaminated mine waste. The situation at Rosebery in terms of lead problems appear to be linked to current and past mine pollution.
However acidic water may also be contributing to the Rosebery problem, as acidic water can be corrosive. Hopefully a new treatment plant at Rosebery will alleviate some of the concerns in that community. That leaves the massive problem of old plumbing fixtures, where lead was used as a solder, remaining across many communities.
What pressure can be mounted by people in these small communities to solve the lead problem once and for all? It is likely that generations of Tasmanians have been exposed to dangerous levels of lead and none have been the wiser, because the information was not given to them.
Disinfection by-products are created when chlorine reacts to organic molecules in source water. Some of these products have been linked to bladder cancer. Over 700 DBP’s have been discovered by science in the last 40 years. Water authorities test for only a handful. Chlorine is an effective disinfectant, yet how many people have even heard of DBP’s created when chlorine is used to disinfect water supplies?
Australian guidelines for one class of DBP’s known as Trihalomethanes are set 3 times higher than equivalent guidelines in the United States. Australian guidelines only take into account DBP’s in drinking water, not exposure via other means, such as inhalation and dermal exposure (eg showering or swimming).
If US guideline levels were adopted in Australia, millions of Australian’s would be exposed to levels of DBP’s considered to be problematic in the US. Authorities in Australia however will be unlikely to reduce DBP guideline levels for fear that many more people could be exposed to water borne disease if disinfection levels are reduced. Alternative water treatment methods would also cost many billions of dollars.
Download …
http://www.foe.org.au/sites/default/files/TasDrinkingWaterLeadAluminiumFinal.pdf
What the government says …
http://www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/publichealth/water
