Victoria’s chief veterinary officer is meeting property owners worried about the impacts of contaminated soil and water from CFA activities at the Fiskville training college.
Owners of 11 neighbouring properties have been briefed on interim results of soil, water and animal testing on their land. The state government said extensive testing on sheep at the property closest to the college “confirmed there is a negligible risk to public health from consuming sheep raised [there]”.
“Even if further testing undertaken on stock confirms the previous assessment that it is safe for human consumption, there remains the risk of the market rejecting stock or produce from farms surrounding Fiskville,” a government report found.
The report, issued on February 9, is the state response to the Fiskville inquiry’s interim report issued last June.
The inquiry is examining the wider effects of poisonous contaminants used in firefighter training at Fiskville, which closed in March last year amid concerns of a cancer cluster among former staff.
A Monash University research study found exposure to chemicals and contaminated water at Fiskville had contributed to higher cancer rates and 16 deaths.
The CFA has implemented stormwater diversions and installed bunds to stop further discharges of water from Fiskville into waterways, and health and welfare helplines have been set up. The final inquiry report is due on March 31.
Click here to view the government response.
