The widow of a former Canberra firefighter has joined a union in criticising ACT authorities' response to contamination caused by firefighting chemicals, following her husband's death from cancer presumably contracted on the job.
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She and the United Firefighters Union have also called for a national response to the issue.
But one of the ACT's top firefighters says it is unclear what more authorities can do, with no clear evidence to suggest that poly- and per-fluoroalkyl chemicals - known as PFAS - cause cancer.
On Tuesday, a day before what would have been her 48th wedding anniversary, Robyn Wood said her husband Ken Wood deserved better at the end of a life of service that included seven years in the Navy, two years as a police officer and 28 years as a firefighter.
Mr Wood died on August 30 last year, after being diagnosed in January 2015 with colorectal, liver, lung and secondary lung cancer.
In July, Comcare accepted liability for Mr Wood's death and awarded Mrs Wood compensation of more than $725,000 under legislation that presumes employment as a firefighter is a significant factor in contracting certain cancers, including colorectal cancer.
Mrs Wood said while she could not be certain PFAS caused her husband's death, Comcare's decision to accept liability had set a precedent and should demonstrate the need to act.
She called on governments across Australia to work together on a national approach to PFAS contamination.
"Compensation like this will not bring my husband back, but he would want to be assured that today's firefighters are being looked after," Mrs Wood said on Tuesday.
"Tomorrow would have been my 48th wedding anniversary.
"How many other firefighters' families will miss out on birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings, grandchildren [and] Christmases before something is done?"
Mrs Wood spoke at The Dickson Tradies after a United Firefighters Union national meeting on PFAS contamination.
The union's ACT branch secretary, Greg McConville, said territory authorities had failed to protect past and present firefighters by not introducing measures like mandatory blood testing and early screening for cancer.
In calling for a national approach, Mr McConville said all firefighting appliances should undergo specialised decontamination.
He said when the Metropolitan Fire Brigade in Melbourne decontaminated its vehicles, it found the only appliances not contaminated by PFAS were brand new ones that had never responded to an incident.
"Even where an appliance has ceased using this foam for many years, traces of it remain ... and cross-contamination can easily occur," Mr McConville said.
ACT Fire and Rescue chief officer Mark Brown said the territory was one of the first jurisdictions to phase out PFAS chemicals, which had not been used by firefighters in the ACT since 2005.
Mr Brown said most firefighting vehicles had been replaced since then, while those that were in service earlier had been thoroughly cleaned on several occasions.
"We've got no legacy issues with exposure of firefighters beyond early 2005," he said.
"... It concerns me that the [union] keep drawing this link that PFAS causes cancer."
Mr Brown pointed out that the federal government's expert health panel for PFAS had found no evidence PFAS caused cancer and that it did not support any specific health or disease screening for highly exposed people in Australia.
He also said ACT Fire and Rescue was already in discussions about introducing mandatory blood testing and early screening for cancer as part of a new enterprise bargaining agreement, and that it was "not helpful" for the union to imply to the media that the authority was inactive in that area.
"Even if we did provide data to firefighters on the level of PFAS in their blood, what do they do with that information?" Mr Brown said.
"There's no treatment and there's no evidence that it causes cancer."
Mr Brown said ACT Fire and Rescue was in the process of engaging a contractor to carry out testing for contamination at the nine potentially affected fire stations.
Professor Mark Taylor, a Macquarie University expert on environmental contaminants, said there was no known safe level of exposure to PFAS chemicals.
He said it was a global problem, and that firefighters and authorities should actively seek to minimise exposure, not wait for more conclusive science.
"The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence," Professor Taylor said.
