Statistics published in Medical Journal of Australia states that in Queensland mining town of Mt Isa, every nine days one child falls prey to lead poisoning. The Xstrata operations have been accused of leaving the children brain damaged and a legal action is under progress.
The report says that there are clear evidences of risk of public health in Queensland and the primary source suspected is the constant smelting and mining work for lead. Mark Taylor, an associate professor at Macquarine University, co-authored the study that says children subjected to high levels of lead could be permanently stripped of 5% of IQ and a change is noticed in their behavior, ADHD, performance at school and lifelong outcomes in various fields.
The findings reveal that Queensland Health carried out blood tests which showed that 11.3% of children between the ages of 1 to 4 years had higher levels of lead than considered normal. The people of Queensland are usually pacified saying that Mt Isa naturally contained high amount of lead but in fact lead levels increase only because of emissions and it’s not naturally mineralized. It is to be noted that no research has been carried out on the older children of Mt Isa and the effects of high lead levels on their development.
Families who are suing the Xstrata operations allege that the emissions have caused poisoning and brain damage in their children. However, Premier Anna Bligh defended the government’s acts though she confessed that high lead levels pose a serious problem. She reminded that all the children in Mt Isa have been twiced in two years. She even advised the families staying close to the mine to be a little more careful about cleaning measures and good hygiene to protect the children from lead poisoning.
Source:
Sydney Morning Herald
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by on 02. Aug, 2010 in Health News
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