The government has agreed to settle three class actions over contamination of land by chemicals used in firefighting foam at defence bases.
WHAT IS PFAS?
* PFAS is the abbreviation for per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances
* PFAS was used in firefighting foam because of its effectiveness in extinguishing liquid fuel fires
* The foam was used extensively in Australia and across the world from the 1970s
WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS ABOUT PFAS?
* Use of PFAS was discontinued in the 2000s when it was realised chemical contaminants persisted in the environment and could leach into groundwater
* Contamination has been detected in and around some Australian defence bases and civil airports
THE CLASS ACTION CASES
* Three Federal Court class actions relating to the contamination of land surrounding defence bases
* Affected communities that launched the actions are in Williamtown, NSW, Oakey, Qld, and Katherine, NT
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
* The Federal Court will need to approve the terms of the settlement.
© AAP 2020
