“A Bundaberg butcher has spent the past week taking the work he loves and preparing to destroy it, after it was revealed the water in the suburb of Svensson Heights contained unsafe levels of PFAS chemicals.
Since the announcement last Friday, Queensland Health has stressed there are no proven health issues from the chemicals.
But the chief health officer has also said that little is known about the long-term effects of PFAS, known for its use in firefighting foams…
On Monday, concerned about the potential health risks, Des Barritt removed stacks of meat from his shelves.
‘The first I heard about the contamination was on Friday afternoon when a customer came in and said, ‘Have you received a letter from the council?’
Bundaberg Regional Council says it is not the relevant authority in this case and food safety advice should be sought from Queensland Health.
It was not until Wednesday night he was advised by Queensland Health the meat would need to be disposed of — up to 500kg of it, worth up to $10,000.
Mr Barritt was now waiting to hear how he would have to dispose of the meat under government supervision.
The Barritt family have run the business for 13 years.
They spent all morning on Thursday calling more than 20 cafes and restaurants they supply around the Bundaberg region and ensuring anything that might have been affected was recalled.
And all week, they’ve been working around the clock to re-make all the products they have lost.
Mr Barritt stressed all his stock was now safe to eat…
Bundaberg Regional Council announced on Thursday that tests taken on Monday confirmed PFAS levels in the drinking water for Svensson Heights were now well below the national drinking water guideline value.
‘The results today should give everyone absolute confidence that the water that’s in the reticulation system now is absolutely safe,’ council spokesman Stuart Randle said.
The system was disconnected and flushed out when the contamination was confirmed last week.”
Read the full article by Eliza Goetze