Monitoring for PFAS
Learn about the guideline levels for PFAS that we follow, and how your drinking water is monitored for PFAS.
What are PFAS?
PFAS (per and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of human-made substances used to make products that resist heat, stains, grease and water. Known as ‘forever chemicals’, they’ve been around since the mid-1900s and are of concern because they can stay in both the environment and humans for a long time.
They’re found in some household products including some non-stick pans, sunscreen, raincoats and make up. In the past, they were commonly used in firefighting foam and waterproof sprays.
They’re commonly detected at trace levels in groundwater, surface water, soils and in the household products mentioned above.
Image credit: The Australian Government
Monitoring for PFAS
Monitoring for PFAS in your drinking water is just part of the work we do to make sure it’s safe and of the highest quality.
As our wholesale supplier, Melbourne Water proactively monitors for PFAS in its catchments before supplying drinking water to us.
As this water enters our distribution network, we collect more samples and send these to an independent laboratory for testing.
Guideline values for PFAS in drinking water
When monitoring for PFAS, we follow the guideline values in the Australian Government’s Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (2025), set by the independent National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). These updated guidelines were released in June 2025.
The guidelines set limits for the concentration of PFAS in drinking water. These are quantities that a person could consume daily without it affecting their health:
- PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid): Less than 0.2 micrograms (200 nanograms) per litre
- PFOS (Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid): Less than 0.008 micrograms (8 nanograms) per litre
- PFHxS (Perfluorohexane sulfonic acid): Less than 0.03 micrograms (30 nanograms) per litre
- PFBS (Perfluorobutane sulfonate): Less than 1 microgram (1000 nanograms) per litre.
To give you an idea of what that means, one microgram per litre is equal to one part per billion. For most people, the level of exposure to PFAS from drinking water is likely to be small.
Since South East Water started monitoring for PFAS in 2024, the independent laboratory that collects samples and analyses our drinking water hasn’t detected any PFAS in our drinking water. The testing protocols can detect PFAS at levels as low as 2 nanograms per litre.
Our results from monitoring PFAS in drinking water will be included in our 2024-25 Annual Water Quality Report.