PFAS Sample results (FOI)

Request 

A report "PFAS and water quality in Jersey 2019 An interim report from the Officer Technical Group" was published in July 2019 (r.87-2019). This included:

"No traces of either PFOS or PFOA were identified in potatoes irrigated with water from the main St Ouen's Bay PFAS plume or in milk from dairy herds." (7th page) and "Potatoes ….and milk … were sent to a specialist accredited laboratory in the USA." " No PFOS or PFOA was detected in any sample." (21st page)

A response to an FoI which requested a copy of the sample results for PFOS & PFOA identified in this report was published on 8th December 2021 and included " The sample results you requested are attached."

Whilst there are results for PFOS there are no results for PFOA. The 23 page document contains no information on PFOA results.

Please will you provide a copy of the results which substantiate the statements in the 2019 report that no PFOA was detected in any sample.

The 23 page document does not contain any information on the minimum detection level or the minimum quantitation level achieved by the laboratory. Without this information claiming that no traces of either PFOS or PFOA were identified is rather meaningless. Please provide these figures for both PFOS and PFOA. 

Response

Following receipt of this request, we have identified an error in the 2019 PFAS report, as milk and potato samples were only tested for PFOS, they were not tested for PFOA as indicated. 

The report has now been amended accordingly and the revised version is available to view on www.gov.je and can be accessed using the following link. 

PFOS interim report is published (gov.je) 

Therefore, information relating PFOA sample results are not held by the Government of Jersey and Article 10 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies. 

Article applied 

Article 10  - Obligation of scheduled public authority to confirm or deny holding information 

(1) Subject to paragraph (2), if –

(a) a person makes a request for information to a scheduled public authority; and

(b) the authority does not hold the information, it must inform the applicant accordingly.