Lessons learned on lead poisoning in children: One‐hundred years on from Turner's declaration

Abstract

There is significant emerging evidence showing life-long negative health, intellectual and socio-behavioural impacts as a result of childhood blood lead concentrations well below the widely used intervention level of 10 mg/dL. This issue raises serious health concerns for children in several Australian smelting and mining towns. Routine educational and home cleanliness advice to wet mop floors rather than to use a brush and pan to reduce lead exposure risks have been shown to have limited efficacy. This paper argues, as advocated 100 years ago by Queensland doctor Alfred Jefferis Turner, that childhood lead poisoning can only be mitigated via primary prevention and reduction of contaminants at source. Given that the effects of lead exposure are irreversible, there is a strong argument for the application of the precautionary principle to dealing with childhood lead exposure. There is a clear need to improve regulatory controls and emissions management to reduce environmental lead exposure risks.

A review of environmental lead exposure and management in Mount Isa, Queensland

“…In addition, the current legislative framework requires only an annual average assessment of lead-in-air concentrations. There are significant monthly variations in ambient concentrations of lead in Mount Isa, with peaks occurring when winds blow from the north and west (blowing from the mine site across town) (15,29).…”

Comparison between inductively coupled plasma and X-ray fluorescence performance for Pb analysis in environmental soil samples

“…The study area Fig. 2 included urban and rural populations which were exposed from old deposits of Pb and the current Pb emission from smelting and refining, which results in considerable contamination of the surrounding soil and is considered the major source of elevated blood Pb in children (Taylor et al 2011). The highest Pb concentration in the surface soil was detected within 2 km of the smelter (kutlaca 1998), with average Pb soil concentration varying from 50 to 500 ppm (Tiller 1976).…”

Blood lead levels in the adult Victorian population: results from the Victorian Health Monitor

“…[6][7][8][9][10] Generally, environmental lead exposures have been decreasing; however, recent evidence indicates that health effects may occur at much lower levels than previously thought, even below the current National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) reference level of 10 µg/dL. 2 As a result, certain population subgroups remain at risk and low-level environmental lead exposure continues to be of public health concern.…”