MAINS water testing has been cited as a top priority for the latest report being developed by a panel of experts considering the effects of the “forever chemical” PFAS on Jersey’s environment.
The environment-focused report, which will be the fourth produced by the PFAS Scientific Advisory Panel, was launched this week at a public meeting attended by around 60 Islanders.
Panel chair Dr Steve Hajioff said the panel would be speaking to Islanders affected by PFAS, a toxic chemical which was a component of foam used by firefighters at Jersey Airport in the 1990s. Around 50 St Ouen residents were found to have elevated levels of exposure to PFAS following a testing programme in 2022.
The panel has already produced two reports, with a third expected to be published in April, and Dr Hajioff said mains water would be the initial focus of the fourth report.
“We’ll be looking at this area first because it is so important to people,” he said.
The meeting heard that testing would be carried out by accredited laboratories in order to ascertain whether there were any grounds for concern. Subsequent testing will also include produce, soil and sea water.
Jersey Water has repeatedly emphasised its commitment to providing safe drinking water for Islanders and has supported the introduction of specific PFAS regulation after this was flagged to the States Assembly by Environment Minister Steve Luce.
In a statement, the utility company said that such regulation was “a positive and necessary step that aligns with our long-standing support for PFAS regulation for the Island”.
Several attendees at this week’s public meeting at Les Ormes expressed concern that the government would not act on the scientific panel’s recommendations or would seek to suppress its findings.
Dr Hajioff said: “We have not been asked to suppress anything, and if we were to be asked, I don’t think we would.
“If I felt pressure not to tell the truth then I wouldn’t stay involved – my reputation is important in the work I do.”
There was also support from those in attendance for the appointment of an independent water regulator and government investment in a treatment plant.
The treatment plant is one of the demands in a petition that has so far been signed by almost 1,300 Islanders.
