How safe is your drinking water? Here's what you need to know about impact of 'forever chemicals' on water quality

By Akanksha Agnihotri | Hindustan Times | January 25, 2025

Read the full article by Akanksha Agnihotri (Hindustan Times)

Most of us are fortunate that when we turn on the tap, clean, safe and high-quality water comes out. But a senate inquiry into the presence of PFAS or “forever chemicals” is putting the safety of our drinking water back in the spotlight. Lidia Thorpe, the independent senator leading the inquiry, says Elders in the Aboriginal community of Wreck Bay in New South Wales are “buying bottled water out of their aged care packages” due to concerns about the health impacts of PFAS in their drinking water.

So, how is water deemed safe to drink in Australia? And why does water quality differ in some areas? Here’s what happens between a water catchment and your tap.

Human intervention in the water cycle

There is no “new” water on Earth. The water we drink can be up to 4.5 billion years old and is continuously recycled through the hydrological cycle. This transfers water from the ground to the atmosphere through evaporation and back again (for example, through rain).

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