Marsden Point firefighting foams

Reports by Radio New Zealand about contamination from firefighting foams at the Marsden Point Refinery are misleading.

As noted in a statement on the Company's Facebook page, tests at the refinery's fire ground have shown only minute levels of PFOS and PFOA which are at, or well below the HEPA guideline values for drinking water. Testing of shellfish adjacent to the refinery carried out by an independent Melbourne based laboratory, showed no level of PFOS or PFOA present in any of the samples.

PFOS and PFOA firefighting foams are not used at Marsden Point and were replaced in 2005 when concerns about the impact of these foams first surfaced.

ENDS

Note:
The HEPA (Heads of Environmental Protection Authorities) guideline is the relevant guideline for New Zealand as recommended by the Ministry for the Environment.

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