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Objectives of The LEAD Group - An
UPDATE
The following objectives have been wholly or partially
achieved since they were formulated in July 1992 (for a full listing see
LEAD Action News Vol 1 No 1):
1.0 to convince the National Health and Medical
Research Council (NH&MRC) to change, at the June 1993 meeting, from
recommending a blood lead "level of concern" of 25 µg/dL to
recommending blood lead standards in line with the US Centers for
Disease Control's intervention levels - 10 µg/dL to spark community
prevention activities, and 15 µg/dL as the intervention level for
individual children.
[Achieved June 1993.]
5.0 to convince environment protection
agencies:-
5.11 to fund a Community Lead Information
Centre (CUC) and counselling service for parents in the Central and
Southern Sydney Area Health Service, operated by The LEAD Group.
[CLIC is up and running and servicing parents across Australia, by
phone and letter, but is not yet government funded.]
7.0 to convince health and environment
protection agencies to cooperate:-
7.1 to set up lead task-forces which steer lead
poisoning prevention activities and further research, with the
involvement of community groups [Both a National Lead Taskforce and a
NSW Lead Taskforce have been set up though neither has community
representatives on it. Community representatives have begun to
participate in the eight NSW Lead Working Groups which advise the Lead
Taskforce. Whether we will be adequately resourced to enable us to
contribute to the Working Groups with the same efficacy as industry,
remains to be seen.] and;
7.2 to set up and operate community lead
centres to carry out the relevant above objectives. [Australia's
second government run Environmental Health Centre, set up specifically
to deal with lead problems in a smelter community, has been opened near
the Pasminco Smelter in Boolaroo, outside Newcastle in NSW. The fIrst
such centre in Port Pirie SA was opened nearly a decade ago.] and;
7.3 to form a strategy to achieve the
elimination of childhood and foetal lead poisoning in Australia by the
year 2002. [The NHMRC decided at its June 1993 meeting to decide at
the November 1993 meeting as to what should comprise a strategy to
achieve the new goal for all Australians of 10 micrograms of lead per
decilitre of blood by either the year 1996 or 1998. The NSW Lead Taskforce
must present a total lead strategy to the NSW Cabinet by April 1994,
though the petrol component and Broken Hill component of the strategy as
well as action on lead in children’s -blood will be fasttracked
through to Cabinet well before then. A National round table meeting on
the 29th July 1993, organised by Ros Kelly, is expected to focus on a
lead in petrol strategy.]
We failed to achieve the following objective:
5.0 to convince environment protection
agencies:-
5.1 to lower the maximum allowable lead content
of leaded petrol to 0.3 g/L immediately, in line with the 1983 Victorian
standard, and to 0.15 g/L in line with European standards, by June 1993.
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