NHMRC is reviewing its 2018 Fact Sheet for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (the Guidelines). This Fact Sheet includes guideline values which indicate the amount of PFAS in drinking water that a person can consume on a daily basis over a lifetime without any appreciable risk to health ('health-based guideline values'). The review is looking at recent international guidance and reviews to determine whether the current advice remains appropriate for Australia.
An updated draft PFAS Fact Sheet (including updated health-based guideline values), together with an NHMRC Statement on PFAS in Drinking Water, have been published for public consultation. They are published in tabs on this webpage, or you may download them (and supporting documents) from the Guideline Development tab.
A message from NHMRC’s CEO with important information is below.
The review is being conducted consistent with NHMRC’s rigorous guideline development process. The process is based on the best available evidence and includes multiple checks, such as working with an expert advisory committee, consultation with jurisdictional water experts, public consultation and expert review.
The final revised PFAS guideline values will be published in 2025. Until then, the current guidelines remain in effect.
Is my tap water safe to drink?
While the health-based guideline values proposed for PFAS are lower than those currently in place, that does not mean there is an immediate risk to your health if you continue to drink tap water. The information available shows that most water supplies are already below the lower, proposed guideline values, and these values are based on minimising risk over a lifetime’s worth of exposure. We use conservative assumptions in setting these values, ensuring that even very small potential risks are addressed. Drinking water is only one of many sources of possible PFAS exposure. Thus, higher values in drinking water for short periods is unlikely to increase health risks.
CEO Message
NHMRC has released updated guidelines values which indicate the amount of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in drinking water that a person can consume on a daily basis over a lifetime without any appreciable risk to health ('health-based guideline values'). The updated values have been released for public consultation and are an important step in ensuring the continued safety of Australia’s drinking water supplies. PFAS are synthetic chemicals that are used to make products resistant to heat, stains, grease and water.
These proposed guideline values are set to be included in the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG), which guide how States and Territories regulate safe drinking water. The most important takeaway from the work that NHMRC has undertaken is that from the available information, the risk from PFAS in drinking water is low for most Australians.
NHMRC is an independent statutory agency and Australia’s leading experts on health and medical research and providing the Australian community with health advice based on the best available scientific evidence. Our process is rigorous, involving expert reviews, peer review, and continuous quality checks. Public consultation is essential in transparently testing and refining our analysis. It allows guideline users, experts, governments and the public to provide information and evidence that will assist us in finalising the guideline values. Therefore, it must not be assumed that these PFAS guideline values will be the final ones for the ADWG, once we take public consultation into account.
The proposed PFAS guideline values are based on the latest available evidence, including scientific reviews undertaken by other national and international agencies, including the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA).
NHMRC’s guidelines reflect Australia’s unique context, drawing on international advice while ensuring it aligns with our local health and safety standards. We do not automatically adopt overseas values without thorough review and adaptation to our conditions. This is important because other countries, such as the United States, issue public health advice within their own legislative frameworks. They may use different risk assessment approaches and policies from Australia’s, which can result in different risk estimation targets compared with those developed in an Australian context.
It is not unusual for guideline values to vary from country to country due to different risk assessment methodologies, calculations and the choice of health endpoints used. The NHMRC process has included evidence reviews, analysis by an expert committee (the Water Quality Advisory Committee), consultation with expert agencies and with the Water Quality Expert Reference Panel of the Environmental Health Standing Committee (enHealth).
While the guideline values proposed are lower than those currently in place, that does not mean there is an immediate risk to your health if you continue to drink tap water. The information available shows that most water supplies are already below the lower, proposed guideline values, and these values are based on minimising risk over a lifetime’s worth of exposure. We use conservative assumptions in setting these values, ensuring that even very small potential risks are addressed. Drinking water is only one of many sources of possible PFAS exposure. Thus, higher values in drinking water for short periods is unlikely to increase health risks. Notably, even the US EPA, which has set very low levels for the US, has given water producers a five-year period (until 2029) to meet their new limits.
In Australia’s system for ensuring water is safe to drink, NHMRC is responsible for producing the ADWG. States and territories use the ADWG in regulating water utilities and suppliers. This applies a robust approach to protecting public health across Australia.
Depending on the jurisdiction, states and territories or water suppliers are responsible for determining how often water supplies are tested. These decisions are based on an assessment of risks of a water catchment, informed by water testing data. The existence of water supplies with higher PFAS levels cannot yet be ruled out. Given the public interest in PFAS, we suggest that water suppliers regularly share information with the community on the current risks in their catchment and the findings from background testing. This transparency will assist in providing consumers with reassurance about the water coming out of their taps.
As for all chemical guideline values, any detections of PFAS higher than the proposed guideline values should be viewed not as a pass/fail measure but should trigger an investigation of potential sources of contamination in case these can be managed to bring the water supply back under guideline values.
PFAS exposure comes from various sources, including household items, and reducing exposure across multiple sources can be beneficial. The research on PFAS is ongoing, and NHMRC will continue to review and update our guidelines as new evidence emerges.
The final revised PFAS guideline values will be published in 2025. Until then, the current guidelines remain in effect. For the reasons explained above, we consider that the risk from PFAS in drinking water is low for most Australians. We encourage the community to stay engaged throughout this public consultation process.
Stakeholder Contact List
NHMRC is creating a contact list to provide stakeholders with updates on the PFAS review process. All interested stakeholders are invited to subscribe to the contact list via the form below. NHMRC will use this contact list during the review to communicate opportunities for stakeholder involvement, including advising when publication will occur.