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Review of Govt Plans re: Leaded Consumer Products
Review
of NSW & Federal Government Plans / Policies on Lead in Consumer Products - from
Publications from the 1990’s in Australia
By Elizabeth O’Brien, National
Coordinator, The LEAD Group Inc. Sydney
The
following series of 6 articles are all linked in that each is a review of the parts of a
government plan related to lead in consumer products [see note* below].
It
is very important to state at the outset that the absence of a lead strategy in every
state apart from NSW and Victoria in no way should be regarded as indicative of the
remaining states and territories having no lead problem. NSW is to be applauded for having
the most comprehensive Lead Management Action Plan and other strategy documents, which
eclipse even the federal government plans in the level of detail. It also must be said
that the NHMRC strategy is by far the broadest plan - if only it had been implemented
there would be no need to keep asking governments for even the basic actions on lead such
as blood lead surveys and the phase-out of leaded petrol.
But
the prize for writing the most achievable plan must go to Ros Kelly - the Lead Roundtable
Agreements, though admittedly focussing on only leaded petrol, has achieved the highest
score for the number of items acted upon.
When
seen together, I trust that this review of the detailed, the broad and the achievable
plans will allow insight for those states and territories and indeed the federal
government who all need to now create their own public health success stories. The
attainment of the Australian blood lead levels goal (all non-occupationally exposed adults
and children to be below 10 micrograms per decilitre) is certainly achievable in the short
term. It may even be possible to achieve the blood lead goal in workers within the next
decade.
I
have requested a review of the Northern Territory's policy on inhalant substance abuse
because leaded petrol is potentially fatal when inhaled and I hope to report on that in
the next LEAD Action News. I am also waiting on information from the Victorian
Health Minister to be able to carry out a review of the plans made in their "Lead
Strategy" 1993.
Note*:
plans regarding consumer products which allow lead into drinking water, eg leaded plumbing
solder and lead flashings for roofs used for tank-water collection, will be dealt with in
a later issue of LEAD Action News and are not listed here.
IMPORTANT REQUEST TO READERS
– I have written italicised comments after each component in the following government
plans regarding consumer products – but I would love to hear from you if my comment
is wrong or incomplete and will be happy to print a retraction with the good news about
what has actually happened, in a later issue of LEAD Action News.
Review of NSW Lead Issues Paper
Review of NHMRC Strategy Review of Ros Kelly’s Lead Roundtable Review of NSW Lead Management Action
Plan Review of NSW Parliamentary Select
Committee Review of OECD Declaration
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