THOSE WHO USE SELFIE STICKS NEED TO HAVE A GOOD, LONG LOOK AT THEMSELVES
The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 39 #01 • June 12, 2024 • www.echo.net.au
D ĪşƖŕĎ Ķŕ lƖōōƖŔ wōĎ Ɋ EşōĎ ƖŕĎĕſ ƐIJĕ ōĕŕƆ EPA says health risks ‘not immediate’ Highly toxic perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were found in Mullumbimby groundwater last week around the town’s fire station on Dalley Street. PFAS are a large, complex group of synthetic chemicals that have been used in industrial and consumer products around the world since about the 1950s. They are are known as ‘forever chemicals’ as they are extremely persistent in our environment and bodies. PFAS can lead to health problems such as liver damage, thyroid disease, obesity, fertility issues and cancer – PFAS are banned in many countries. The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) Director of Regulatory Operations, David Gathercole, told The Echo that the PFAS was detected as part of the NSW PFAS Investigation Program, which examines sites that have potential for PFAS contamination from the legacy use of PFAS fire-fighting foams. The Echo asked the EPA, ‘Were there no PFAS levels found in the nearby Brunswick River, or were there PFAS levels found above Australian guidelines?’ The Echo also asked if the PFAS may have spread during the 2022 floods. Mr Gathercole replied, ‘There has been no PFAS detected in creeks and rivers, so it is unlikely that PFAS would have been widely distributed as a result of flooding’. ‘There isn’t an immediate health risk to residents, as all properties in the nearby area are connected to town water, which continues to be safe to use. As part of our
precautionary doorknock, we have been speaking to residents around the fire station, including some north of the station’. Global expert in toxic chemicals, Dr Mariann Lloyd-Smith, told The Echo that Australia has significantly lower thresholds for drinking water guidelines and standards with PFAS, compared to the US, Canada and the EU.
No safe level of exposure She said, ‘US regulators concluded there may be no safe level of exposure to PFAS, so it is important for residents to reduce exposure as far as possible – therefore it is sensible to avoid all uses of the contaminated groundwater’. Apart from being senior advisor to the International Pollution Elimination Network, Dr Mariann LloydSmith has authored UN reports and has served on UN Expert Group on Climate Change and Chemicals. The Echo asked the EPA to supply the levels that were found, and the locations of where the soils were tested. ‘Were the houses next to the fire station tested, for example?’, The Echo asked. No answer to the question was provided other than, ‘The results of further precautionary sampling will guide our next steps’. Asked whether NSW fire stations have sprayed PFAS foam on children in the past (as part of open days, etc), the EPA provided background comments: ‘The use of PFAS firefighting foams was banned in 2021. Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) advises it has not used PFAS since 2007’.
Cameron Arnold’s tourism role recognised ▶ p3
Peta-Jane Ashford inspects her cameras at her Olympus Tripping stall during Saturday’s sunny Old & Gold Festival in Brunswick Heads. While her stall featured mainly mechanical film cameras, the Olympus Pen F is a much-sought-after camera, as it is the smallest SLR ever made. Photo Jeff ‘Oldie & Mouldy’ Dawson
ƐƖĎĕŕƐƆ ǕſĕĎ Ɩż Īşſ ŔëſĶŕĕ żſşƐĕĈƐĶşŕ Paul Bibby There is something deeply inspiring about a hall full of young humans who are passionate about saving the planet. Tired narratives about apathy and disengagement dissolve as those who are inheriting ecological wounds inflicted by past generations seek solutions and healing. That passion for problem solving was on full display last Wednesday,
Dr Ray Moynihan dips into the AI future ▶ p14
Localisation event June 29 ▶ p17
ůōƁăĽƱ ŬōƫĈůħŅĞ fħńüħŅ £ŵĈ ōƁů ōŅĽħŅĈ ĈŅĈůĞƱ ýáĽýƁĽáżōů żō ĝħŅă ōƁż ƫħżĤ ōĽáů żĈýĤŅōĽōĞƱ Ĥōƫ ńƁýĤ ƱōƁ ýōƁĽă ŵáƪĈ ĞōħŅĞ ŵōĽáůǧ ŵħŅýĈ njǔǓǒǧ ºµÒy ÒʼnÖÌʼnÒºʼn ¡µ ʼnºÖÒʼn ºâʼnâ ʼn yµʼn ®ÅʼnèºÖʼnLAi OʼnA<ʼnÒ ÈºÖ ʼn ®y ¬ºÖÒÌĜ ĬćĉĭʼnččďĐʼnĈċĊćʼnʼnʼnʼnÈÅ Ĝ º´ĜyÖ
S yµʼnÒ ¡Ìʼn º Òºʼn® yȵʼn´ºÈ Ĝ
Ĭćĉĭ ččďĐʼnĈċĊćʼnʼnʼnʼnÈÅ Ĝ º´ĜyÖ
as more than 150 students from six local high schools gathered at the Byron Youth Service (BYS) for the inaugural Ocean Voices event.
Part of the solution ‘They truly have an amazing capacity to want to become part of a solution,’ event organiser and founder of Ocean Voices, Simone Roseler said. ‘They just need to be valued, and
Support local and love Byron Bay ▶ p19
given an opportunity to get involved.’ Getting involved was a key theme during the event, with speakers from across the ecological spectrum talking about how to make a difference. Among them was Mike Smith, the founder and CEO of Zero Co, a company which home-delivers personal care and home-cleaning products without any single-use plastic. ▶ Continued on page 6
A tasty scoopful of local biz ▶ p22