High PFAS levels found in young sparrows in Melbourne's south-west

Blood tests taken by scientists from Macquarie University have found high levels of PFAS in house sparrows in Melbourne's south-west. (Supplied: Macquarie University/Simon Griffith)

A study has found a high concentration of PFAS chemicals in young sparrows in Melbourne's south-west.

Scientists took blood samples from chicks near contaminated industrial and military sites, finding levels were 10 times higher than a comparative population in a non-polluted area.

The study, published today, found the birds with the highest levels were all from the RAAF Williams-Laverton base.

Scientists say they have found especially high concentrations of PFAS chemicals in young sparrows in Melbourne's south-west.

A team from Macquarie University and Environment Protection Authority analysed blood samples taken from house sparrows at 16 locations that were known to be previously contaminated with PFAS.

Sites included the RAAF Williams-Laverton base at Williams Landing, the Altona Wastewater Treatment Plant, and a chemical plant and oil refinery in Altona.

All sites were known to have had previous PFAS contaminations.

PFAS foam was widely used by firefighters in Australia from the 1950s to early 2000s. (Supplied: FBEU)

The study published today in the journal Environmental Science and Technology revealed the average level of the PFAS chemical perfluorooctane sulfonate in the young sparrows was 10 times that of birds in an uncontaminated rural site in Norway.

Lead author Max Gillings said while the levels were not as bad as the team was expecting for known contamination sites, they were several times higher than sparrow populations in other parts of the city.

"We did find highly elevated levels of PFAS in the blood of those birds," Dr Gillings said.

"Part of it has now been rehabilitated and redeveloped into the suburb of Williams Landing, so a lot of our sampling was actually in that suburb."

The team found the sparrows with the highest concentration of PFAS levels were all from RAAF Williams–Laverton base in Williams Landing. (Supplied: Department of Defence)

Dr Gillings said the base had previously been used as a large air force firefighting training facility and the birds were mostly feeding on insects inside the restricted defence land.

He said the study did not find any strong evidence of significant off-site contamination.

"The Department of Defence has been aware of the PFAS issue at this site for quite a long time," he said.

"Prior to actually developing Williams Landing, they did conduct quite an extensive rehabilitation of the contaminated areas t