It seems almost unthinkable today with the high blood lead levels children are currently experiencing in Broken Hill, Australia, as reported in recent media reports. This worrisome trend has persisted even after decades of governmental efforts to decrease people’s exposures. Mark Taylor, a noted lead expert, illustrates just how severe the crisis is. He notes that the New South Wales (NSW) government has spent hundreds of millions on monitoring and remediation since the 1990s. The community continues to grapple with the legacy of mining, raising serious concerns about the health implications for its youngest residents.
The plight of children like Nova and her brother Atlas, who have both been diagnosed with elevated lead levels, underscores the urgency of the situation. Lavinia Henderson from Maari Ma Aboriginal Health Corporation articulates the gravity of the problem, stating, “It’s poison and our kids are playing in poison and you have no way to get away from that.” Academics, advocates, families, and policymakers have been engaged in this critical conversation about the impacts of lead contamination and remediation efforts. They understand that there is no time to waste when it comes to protecting our most vulnerable children’s health.
Historical Context and Ongoing Concerns
Since the 1990s, the NSW government has poured significant resources into Broken Hill, focusing on monitoring blood lead levels among residents, particularly children. However, despite these efforts lead levels are still shockingly high. Thought leaders like Mark Taylor are vehemently protesting this tide. Further, he argues that even our best remediation attempts aren’t sufficient to truly fight the crisis.
As Taylor points out, we unknowingly allow our children to be exposed to lead from all angles. This accounts for both current mining operations but legacy sites across the City, particularly surrounding the Line of Lode. In addition, he argues that lead contamination often doesn’t stop outside the door, impacting garden soil and indoor dust.
“Key sources are current and legal mining activities, legacy sites around town, in particular, the Line of Lode and also lead sources inside people’s homes and in the yards, like garden soil.” – Mark Taylor
To combat exposure to lead, remediation work has been done on homes throughout the city, including Mr. Pearce’s home. Our work here included replacing the topsoil that was found to be contaminated. There are no existing Australian regulatory dust lead values. Specialists such as Taylor are urging the implementation of a more robust regulatory structure to address this pressing public health crisis.
The Debate Surrounding Mining Activities
A significant aspect of the ongoing discourse revolves around the proposed Bowdens Silver mine near Mudgee, which will produce lead and zinc. Critics, including local farmers such as Jayne Bentivoglio, have sounded the alarm about the dangers posed by emerging mining activities. Bentivoglio was particularly frustrated by a lack of transparency in reporting the presence of lead.
“It was a cover-up. This was a big cover-up by government.” – Jayne Bentivoglio
The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has recently come under fire for its response to reports of lead contamination. Tony Chappel, the EPA’s Chief Executive Officer, said he was saddened. He pointed to internal communications that warned about the optics of not being transparent about lead levels. He touted the mining industry’s importance as a driver of the country’s economy. He maintained that it shouldn’t dictate the distribution of much needed information to communities facing increased risk of health impacts.
“The mining sector is no different in that respect, but no industry will ever dictate the terms of the release of information that’s relevant to the community and nor should they. I am very committed to transparent provision of real-time information.” – Tony Chappel
Chappel, in response, admitted that there are some trigger values for some operations all over Australia. Yet there are no official dust-lead values on the books. This dangerous gap in regulation is raising red flags among health advocates and scientists.
Recommendations for Change
In light of ongoing concerns about children’s health and exposure to lead, experts like Mark Taylor advocate for new scientific approaches to assess contaminant levels in dust. First, he argues, there needs to be some clear trigger value and response value established that tells regulators when and how to act.
“There are some trigger values set for some operations around the nation, but there’s no formal values for lead in dust, and that for me, that’s one of the key matters for consideration by the regulatory authorities.” – Mark Taylor
Parents such as Darcy Pearce convey their anger and sadness regarding the ongoing ordeal. As a father watching his son undergo blood tests for lead exposure, he finds it difficult yet essential to pursue solutions for healthier living conditions.
“As a father sitting there with your son, getting all this blood drawn out of his finger and crying and being very upset, it is very hard, but it needs to be done.” – Darcy Pearce
Pearce supports a due-diligence approach and broad remediation, as needed, for all homes with known contamination. His is an opinion growing in Broken Hill. That’s because they’re 100 percent committed to making sure no child has to grow up in an environment where exposure to poison is all but guaranteed.
“We should be able to remediate all the homes. Children shouldn’t be living in poison.” – Darcy Pearce
