A former Air Force firefighter, who used the toxic foam at the centre of the Williamtown contamination crisis, says he had been assured by chemical giant 3M it was "safe enough to drink".

The foam has been deemed toxic, amid revelations it has polluted groundwater surrounding the Air Force base.

It has prompted fishing bans and forced authorities to quarantine drinking water supplies in the Tomago Sandbeds.

Former Air Force firefighter Brian Thorburn used the foam daily between 1987 to 2000.

He is alarmed by the Williamtown crisis, after reflecting on previous assurances that the foam was safe.

"The manufacturer of the product said, one of the representatives said, it was practically safe enough to drink," he said.

"We used to have it spill onto our clothing and that, and it was just like a detergent."

He said he did not think he was at risk.

"That was the last thing on my mind," he said.

"Once it got wet it just bubbled up and it was just like having wet soapy clothes on."

Calls for Veterans Affairs to review advice

Another former Air Force firefighter Pat Mildren has called on the Department of Veterans Affairs to review its initial advice on the foam.

"I've actually called on DVA to re-look at their original assessment of saying that it was a deteriorating chemical and was not going to cause any medical concerns to us, which initially I accepted," he said.

Mr Mildren said the potentially toxic effect from firefighting foam is not the only thing he is worried about.

"I must admit, I'm probably more nervous about the other chemicals that we've located," he said.

"I've got a list of something like 30 of them that have been fully researched, and they are absolutely horrendous."

3M defences firefighting foam

3M has issued a statement defending its actions in relation to the firefighting foam, which contains the chemicals PFOS and PFOA.

"3M complied with all labelling requirements and regulations with respect to its aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) products," a spokeswoman said.

"The products were all sold with material safety data sheets, or MSDSs, that advised how to handle and dispose of the product in a safe and effective manner.

"When used properly, AFFF was safe and effective.

"In fact, the products are widely credited with benefiting the military and civilian firefighters everywhere.

"They are known in many cases to have saved lives."

The company said there are not any health risks.

"We believe that PFCs, such as PFOS and PFOA, do not present any health risks at the levels they are typically found in the environment or in human blood," the spokeswoman said.

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