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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-07-18 Daily Xml
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PORT PIRIE BLOOD LEAD LEVELS

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (14:49): I seek leave to make an explanation before addressing a question to the Minister for Industrial Relations, representing the Minister for Health and Ageing, on the topic of blood lead levels in Port Pirie.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: While I am sure members do not need to be reminded about the serious health consequences of exposure to lead at a young age, for the record, adults who are exposed to high amounts of lead can experience anaemia, nervous system dysfunction, weakness, hypertension, kidney problems, fertility problems, increased levels of miscarriage, premature deliveries and low birth weight babies. Of course, children exposed to lead can face neurological impairment or delay, growth retardation and delayed sexual maturation as well. Lead can impair development even at blood levels below 10 micrograms per decilitre.

However, in December 2010 the government's tenby10 initiative came to an inauspicious end. That initiative, of course, sought to reduce the number of children with unacceptably high levels of lead in their bloodstream to less than 5 per cent of children under the age of four by the end of 2010. It did not reach that goal. At that point, more than one in four children in Port Pirie still had blood lead levels above that deemed safe by the WHO. In fact, while it was a decline from the previously shocking level of 51.7 per cent in 2005, it was still at 27.9 per cent at that point.

There is a rebadged website, Ten for them, which has come into existence since 2011, and there has been some very slow further progress. As of August 2011, the number of children with excessive blood lead levels remains still unacceptably high at 24.4 per cent. Today, of course, we see buried on page 13 of The Advertiser an article entitled 'Tough new green rules for smelter', which states that the EPA is set to announce new licence conditions to the Port Pirie lead smelter operator Nyrstar 'within weeks', and the company itself was saying that they were confident they could work within them.

Both government and industry have a role to play here, of course, and must be held accountable. If the government is serious about improving the health of Port Pirie's children, it must commit not only to a target but to a deadline for achieving that target. The people of Port Pirie should never have to choose between healthy children and jobs and prosperity for that city. My questions to the minister representing the Minister for Health and Ageing are:

1. Does the government stand by its previous tenby10 goal of reducing blood levels to less than 10 micrograms per decilitre of blood in 95 per cent of children aged under four? If so, by what deadline will it meet this goal?

2. When will this government prove that it is serious about preventing lead poisoning and damaging the health of both children and adults in Port Pirie by committing to an urgent and then annual report to be presented to this parliament on the progress to reduce the blood lead levels of children in Port Pirie?

3. With this urgent reporting, will it also include any information sent to the WHO in the past decade?

4. What further actions is the government taking to minimise lead emissions from the smelter to the community and to minimise lead exposure to children in that community?

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:52): I thank the honourable member for what is a very important question. I can assure the member that this government does take very seriously the blood lead levels in Port Pirie. I will refer her questions to the Hon. John Hill, Minister for Health and Ageing, and bring back a response as soon as possible.

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