<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Senator Lidia Thorpe has called for a nationwide ban on "forever chemicals" used in everyday products like non-stick pans and cosmetic and personal products.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A 12-month Senate inquiry on the extent and management of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — a group of more than 4700 synthetic chemicals effective at resisting heat, stains, grease and water — has handed down its final report.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It found Australia's health advice lags behind the international consensus and minimises the risk it can have on affected communities.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/tropical-cyclone-fina-forms-off-northern-australia/0f75ced2-f1e6-4274-b200-b40b8d939bd0" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>'Gale force' wind warning as cyclone heads toward Top End</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The report acknowledged the difficulties of establishing a conclusive link between PFAS and the health issues, but noted that the federal government needed to strengthen its precautionary stance as science continues to investigate.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The inquiry handed down 47 recommendations, including a national monitoring program, a website with a map of PFAS hotspots, subsidised PFAS blood testing and cancer screening and reviewing the current health guidance.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>PFAS can enter the environment, food and drinking water, with growing research linking them to health issues ranging from mildly elevated blood cholesterol to reduced kidney function.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/pfas-senate-inquiry-final-report-calls-to-ban-forever-chemical/f8f20b62-ef9d-48b4-a4dc-863594ef32c8" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It is dubbed "forever chemicals" as they are virtually indestructible and unable to break down naturally. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>PFAS are almost impossible to avoid and are found in many Australian homes, with the chemical present in firefighting foam, non-stick cookware, cosmetics and personal care products, medical devices, pharmaceutical products, fast food packaging, microwave popcorn bags, pesticides, paint, and stain-resistant clothing.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>There have been increasing concerns around the long-term effects of these chemicals after they were detected in Sydney's drinking water.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/health/mrna-flu-vaccine-pfizer-trial-results/d7d0ba8e-9ed8-4035-95cc-882f99d38a78" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>New mRNA flu vaccine far more effective than existing jabs: study</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Thorpe, who chaired the Senate inquiry, called for a total ban on all PFAS chemicals.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"For too long, PFAS chemicals have poisoned our land, water, and communities, while governments looked the other way," she said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The science is clear: PFAS are toxic and linked to immune, reproductive and cancer risks. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"People are getting sick, but the problem is still being minimised — that has to stop.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"These chemicals are the asbestos of the 21st century."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Monash University's chemistry professor Rico Tabor also called for a PFAS ban, adding that the potential health issues are "not a risk we should be prepared to take".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We just don't have long-term and sufficient enough studies to truly understand the range of impacts, but we know that acute and chronic exposure to these chemicals is problematic and is implicated with a number of serious health concerns," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"In the face of international evidence, we have been slow... We have been slow off the mark, and that means we've got catching up to do in order to put the right legislation protections in place."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Tabor added that the federal government needed to support chemists to find an alternative chemical that works identically to PFS.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/finance/nvidia-earnings-will-shed-a-light-on-whether-big-tech-is-fueling-an-ai-boom-or-bubble/deb139da-4f59-47bb-8905-58b9f42fa8b7" rel="" target="_blank" title=""><strong><span>'AI bubble' fears eased as world's most valuable company clears hurdle</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In the final report, Labor Senators acknowledged most people likely have PFAS in their bodies and the concerns about health impacts were justified.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But they were cautious about policy interventions due to a lack of technical expertise and the ongoing research. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>9news.com.au has contacted the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water for further comment.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span></span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Apple App Store</span></em></strong></a><span> </span><strong><em><span>and</span></em></strong><span> </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>Google Play</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>.</span></em></strong></div></div>