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The latest news from the USA is
that old PVC Christmas trees can give off dangerous lead dust. Foundation EARTH [http://earthonline.org/leadpress.html]
warns that young children should not play under these Christmas trees and anyone handling
them should wash their hands thoroughly afterwards. But there's other bad news on lead.
Staff of the Lead Advisory Service Australia (LASA) haven't had wages for running the
service for the past two years so there won't be many presents under their Christmas
trees. Apart from a one year grant of $10,000 from Wests Ashfield received on 4 December
2002, the four LASA staff haven't got a cracker for wages.
From its tiny premises in Summer Hill, in the last year LASA dealt with 5,004 calls for
information and assistance on preventing lead poisoning and preventing lead entering the
environment.
The administrative costs, such as the internet and phone bills and postage, are paid
for until June 2003 by the Federal government, but, as things stand, the service
can’t continue on just the West’s money for the next year.
"From 1995 to 2000, LASA has received between $150,000 and $300,000 in annual
government grants" says Elizabeth O’Brien, National Coordinator of The LEAD
Group, the community organisation which runs the advisory service.
"The intention was that we help implement the national lead strategy and NSW
government’s Lead Management Action Plan, and provide the public with information and
referrals," she says.
"The NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) hasn’t given us any money for
the service for the last two years despite 64% of our calls coming from NSW and promises
in Parliament that both EPA and NSW Health would provide funding. We’ve had money for
a "project" for NSW Councils, which has kept staff going on part-time wages,
whilst at the same time running the advisory service, without being paid wages to do so,
for the past two years. Now the project is finished, but the EPA and Health Department
won’t entertain the idea of renewing funding for the advisory service unless we jump
through the hoop of seeking funding from other Australian states and from the
Commonwealth. We’re trying, believe me, but without much luck so far."
"We can’t keep running the advisory service for much longer, unless NSW
Health and EPA grants are forthcoming. We’ve demonstrated the need for our service -
the danger of exposure to lead isn’t going to go away just because there’s no
lead in petrol any more. We want to be here for all the Christmas renovators but staff
can't live on air."
For further information, contact Elizabeth O’Brien on (02) 9716 0014 or journalist
Isla Bindon-Howell on (02) 9664 4750 for
the full story. ### |
