Case Study - A Mother Takes Action!
by
Michelle Calvert
Late in 1994 my
two year old son was found to have a blood lead level of 33 µg/dL, more than three times
the "National Goal". The impact of this discovery on my husband and I was
profound. We were initially confused but as we grappled with the information about lead
poisoning the confusion gave way to guilt and then fear for the welfare of our son. At the
same time we were desperately trying to establish how this calamity had happened.
It was a matter
of chance that I had Ian tested for lead poisoning. I had read an article in the local
paper drawing attention to the problem and identifying old houses, especially those being
renovated, as a prominent cause. Our Haberfield (8 km west of Sydney city) home was being
extended and renovated, although we were not actually living there during this process, we
were living with my Mother also in an old home at Haberfield. From our tests it seems that
Ian had eaten paint flakes from an external wall of Mum's old laundry. The quantity could
not have been much more than an area about the size of a ten cent piece. It is probably
this fact which filled us with anger, because we think of ourselves as well informed
people. We were aware, we thought, of the danger of lead in paint and in petrol but aghast
at the tiny amount of paint necessary to cause such a potentially serious problem. I was
angry because I was ignorant of how little exposure a toddler needs to become seriously
harmed by this insidious substance. Why weren't we as a community fore-warned and
therefore forearmed about this problem? Surely this is a health issue and the
responsibility of Government!
Since that time
my research tells me that the inner west of Sydney is populated with large numbers of
potentially affected children and I am alarmed and indeed anxious that this fact, which is
well documented, has been shelved or conveniently set aside as an issue too difficult and
complex to deal with.
One recent
South Australian study indicates that the possible number of children with blood levels
above the National Goal is in the order of 200,000 to 400,000 children Australia wide. If
this is correct the implications for "Australia - the clever country" are
obvious. But the real tragedy here is for the children themselves who, because of the
insidiousness of the effects of lead and the lack of obvious symptoms are left untreated
and as a consequence fail to reach their full potential.
The National
Goal should be an environment which is "lead safe" through the stringent control
of any addition of lead into the environment and careful management of lead contaminated
sites. Such a target may not be achievable in the immediate future, but a target it should
remain and strategies put in place to achieve that aim.
Lead
contamination is no doubt the most significant and preventable public health problem
facing us today. Its resolution mandates that a number of priorities be established. The
first of these and the easiest to achieve is the elimination of lead in petrol.
Herbert
Beauchamp of the Toxic Chemicals Committee said in 1992;
"Australia
has the second highest motor car ownership in the world, the highest concentration of
population in cities, and produces the highest per capita lead load from petrol sources.
While lead used in petrol accounts for only 7% of the lead used in the Australian
environment, it contributes 90% of the lead in air and thus constitutes the greatest
threat to the most sensitive population - children under four. Sydney air receives 800
tonnes of lead from petrol every year."
Unlike our
economic peers we have not eradicated lead from petrol. The U.S.A. and Japan have taken
this initiative and have shown a definite correlation between reduced lead in petrol and
reduced population blood lead levels. It is disappointing that we tolerate a petrol lead
level higher than many other OECD countries.
The removal of
lead from petrol is the easy problem to solve. It is achieved by the stroke of the
legislative pen. Infinitely more difficult is the removal of existing lead from the
environment. Such as:
- lead
contamination in soil - the soil in my "safe" suburban yard had a reading of
11,259 ppm [parts per million] around the perimeter of the house where window sashes and
sills had been scraped free of old flaking paint;
- ceiling dust
- the legacy of fallout from 50 or more years of the internal combustion engine and 100
years of neighbours' renovations and coal and wood burning;
- lead in
construction - lead flashing and plumbing fittings; and the list goes on.
By far the most
dangerous source of contamination is lead in paint in pre 1970 housing stock. My personal
story demonstrates this perfectly.
In recent times
we have been persuaded by paint manufacturers that painting is easy, safe and child's
play. This "do-it-yourself ethic" has concealed the danger inherent in older
leaded paints. It seems just as acrylic paints have masked the dangers of lead paint - the
ease of use of these new paints and the years have masked the knowledge that these leaded
paints pose a grave threat to our families.
A massive
education campaign is required so that all are made aware of the prevalence of leaded
paint in old homes and the dangers of its removal, as it poses a direct threat to children
and the foetuses of pregnant women. More particularly we must advise of the kind of care
and methods which must be taken to minimise these dangers.
We need to
raise the awareness of home and building renovators whether professionals or
"do-it-yourselfers". They must understand the dangers for themselves; the need
for scrupulous methods so that contamination of the immediate environment does not occur;
and the implications of careless removal and disposal methods for the broader community.
As a Councillor
on the Ashfield Council in Sydney I have succeeded in introducing some positive measures
which other Councils may follow and which may find expression in future State Government
strategies.
Ashfield
Council issues information brochures dealing with the health and safety issues associated
with lead to each applicant for a Development or Building Application and more importantly
now imposes the following as a standard condition on planning and building approvals that
involve the removal of external paint.
"External
paintwork shall not be removed from any building on the site without written approval
having been obtained from Council.
An application
for approval shall be submitted to Council's Environment and Health Department and shall
include:-
- Certificate
from an independent testing lab of the lead content of the paint to be removed;
- Name and
address of the person who will be carrying out the work;
- Details of
the method of removing the paint; and
- methods of
containing and disposing of the paint residue.
There are other
important measures which are called for and which may eventuate in the future. Among these
is the need for funding of research into the physiological effects of lead on children; a
kinder method of testing children for lead and a program designed to screen all children
at risk.
Concurrently
with the infant immunisation programme a questionnaire devised to reveal potential
"at risk" children should be instituted. The questionnaire should seek to
identify factors such as:
-
whether
renovations are being or have recently been carried out;
-
age and
condition of house;
-
parent/fellow occupant occupation or hobby;
-
proximity to
major road or lead source.
Where an answer
indicates a risk - a follow up blood test should be ordered and if elevated blood lead
levels are detected, professional assistance should be given to identify and contain the
source of pollution. I am disappointed in the initial reporting of the Lead Taskforce
recommendations that random blood tests for under sevens will be undertaken.
Children under four are most at risk and it appears that testing seven year olds will only
confirm what we already know. A large number of our children have been damaged by lead. We
need to intervene at a time when positive action could be taken for the child.
It is clear
that there is scope for an industry to flourish in the area of lead removal and
decontamination of sites. This would involve the setting and maintenance of adequate
standards of performance and protection for consumers from frauds and charlatans.
Overall, you will agree, the
difficulties associated with lead contamination of our environment are many. Fundamental
to their resolution is Government acknowledgment of the problem and an acceptance of the
responsibility to act.
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