Macquarie University Lead Paint Management
Training Program

By Michelle Calvert

Last April I attended a 2-day course on Lead Paint Management at Macquarie University. The program was produced jointly by the Macquarie University Graduate School of the Environment and CTI Consultants Pty Ltd.

The program consisted of two courses run concurrently. The full 2-day course comprised four separate units over the whole two days. Each unit consisted of lectures and hands-on workshops, dealing with specific aspects of the management of lead paint in buildings and related subjects.

Unit 1, which introduced the main issues for the remainder of the course, was presented as a half- day seminar for those senior managers, planners and decision makers with limited available time, to allow them to gain an overview of the problems of lead in buildings without the higher level of details required by those more closely involved. A full course manual was provided to all participants, including those attending the half-day seminar only.

The course addressed the health effects of lead, the assessment and control of lead paint in domestic dwellings or public buildings, and also covered the problems of lead-containing dust in older houses. The course incorporated recent Australian research and standards, as well as source material from the US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, adapted to Australian conditions and experience. It also contained a module on occupational health and safety requirements which was of great interest to the lead abatement contractors present.

The course presenters were Professor Brian Gulson and Fred Salome. Brian Gulson has extensive experience in environmental audits of residences in mining and urban communities, has carried out forensic studies linking lead in paint with childhood poisoning and has been active in developing strategies for dealing with lead in houses.

Fred Salome is an industrial chemist with wide experience in assessing dwellings for the presence of lead in paint, and in advising on how to deal with this issue. He has been involved in monitoring industrial lead paint removal projects, and acts as a consultant to a range of government organisations including the NSW RAT and various councils. Fred is a member of the Standards Australia committee CH/311 1, Lead-Based Paint Management.

Both Fred and Brian have been actively involved in The LEAD Group and are on the Technical Advisory Board. Fred is also the public officer of The LEAD Group Inc.

A high degree of animated discussion resulted between the presenters and the large attendance, which included public health professionals, lead abatement contractors, representatives from local government and consultants. All present felt that the course was a great success and had been of benefit to them.

The next course will be presented on October 1st and 2nd, and I recommend it to anyone with an active involvement in having to manage the problems associated with the presence of old lead paint in houses and buildings.

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