PFAS not harmful…..said no one ever

By Kate Taylor and Helen Tatchell

“…PFAS are not harmful
to the public
during soil removal,
relocation
or disposal.”
– Transurban spokesperson

An extraordinary claim of safety has come from the company managing the removal of contaminated soil from the West Gate Tunnel project.

In a quote provided to the Moorabool News by a Transurban spokesperson, the company stated the community would be safe from PFAS during the transportation and disposal of contaminated soil at Maddingley Brown Coal’s property in Bacchus Marsh.

“The West Gate Tunnel Project is taking a safety-focused approach to managing tunnel soil to ensure there is no risk to the community. This includes measures to reduce dust, cover and seal trucks during transportation and following EPA requirements to ensure groundwater is protected,” the spokesperson told the Moorabool News.

“With the stringent measures that would be in place, PFAS are not harmful to the public during soil removal, relocation or disposal.”

Toxic contamination of PFAS saw the closure of the Fiskville firefighter training site near Ballan after a cancer cluster was detected.

The claim by Transurban came after its staff, along with MBC and West Gate Tunnel Project staff and Civic Group consultants, led two afternoon/evening public information sessions at the Darley Civic and Community Hub over the past fortnight, along with pop-ups at the Darley Market and the Harvest Festival.

To read the full story (PAGE 14) – Simply click on the following link and scroll through the pages
in the 17 March 2020 edition

https://www.scribd.com/document/451824085/MN-2020-03-17