ELEVEN per cent of Mount Isa children have lead poisoning, a Queensland Health study has confirmed.
The results, released today in Mt Isa, confirm stories in The Australian in recent weeks and years.
The study shows that of 400 children aged one to four in the mining town, 45 had blood levels higher than 10 micrograms per decilitre.
Read more here: http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23741342-601,00.html
story via: Stephen T. Thanks.
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
Their parents need to quit buying toys from China painted with lead paint.
Not funny Woody. This problem is entirely local, not imported. The mine and the government need to start taking the issue seriously.
Woody you could do well to acquaint yourself with what happens at Mt Isa.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/04/02/2205682.htm
“Mount Isa is in the top two of largest copper mining and smelting operations in the Australia. Copper and lead are smelted on site”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Isa,_Queensland
Shoddy comment Woody. Even the mine owneres have expressed concern.
You live next to an airport planes fly over your head.
You live in the desert, dust storms will blow over your head
You live on the side of an active volcano and one day you wake up and there’s lava flowing through your living room.
You live next to one of the worlds largest copper/lead/silver/tin mines and no dust blows over your head?
Hmmmm
Good grief, you guys are sensitive. Of course, though, you are right in that I didn’t realize the seriousness of the problem until I read more on it.
When I was a kid, we only had to deal with nuclear fallout from atom bomb tests–not to mention that we thought that playing with mercury was fun.
These mines have been opened since 1923 and it seems as if everyone is still testing lead levels and still thinking about solutions. But, what are they gong to be able to do to solve the problem?
If I worked at the mines, I’d be quitting and leaving town.
Sounds like a good case for flyin – fly out operation. At least the families and children won’t be exposed to whatever nasties there are as they’ll be living elsewhere.
Eleven percent. Why only eleven? Could it be that the natural chelating agents, selenium and Magnesium levels are low in some of the population? Selenium is low in most Australian soils, and magnesium is mostly obtained from leafy vegetables if the water does not contain enough. Vit C is also implicated in heavy metal elimination.
Souds like a job for someone like Dr Archie Kalikoneras, of “Every Other Child ” fame, who showed that lack of Vit C was causing the death of 50% of Aboriginal children after their inoculations.
But wasn’t he ridiculed, ostracized,then later struck off for something that few other medicos have been for the same thing, namely not being present at the birth of one of his patients, despite having a qualified substitute in his place. Who would dare to suggest it was simply a matter of diet?
Researcher Niels Munksgaard says he was part of a group which investigated lead in air, water and soil nearly a decade ago.
He claims the data – linking mining activity to dangerous emissions – was left out of a subsequent report by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Local resident Catherine Young says her son is among the Mount Isa children with high blood lead levels and she is considering her legal options.
“They’ve known for a long time that they’ve been pumping this deadly stuff into the atmosphere,” she said.
“We are speaking to the solicitor at the moment regarding whether we will take legal action.
“There should be repercussions for their actions and if suing them is what has to be done then that’s what has to be done.”
The State Government has asked Dr Munksgaard to provide a copy of his findings.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/30/2260911.htm
For the second time in 7 months hundreds of birds are dead in Esperance – from lead? Blogger Eyrie remembers Dr Archie Kalokerinos. Archie was right on to it and yet this is only the tip of the iceberg. Vitamin A1 and zinc too. Recently a practitioner I know was told to cease / desist by
a govt. body regulating supplements. Well do you think they really give a **** about our lives? A mate approached a med. school to do a study on Mt. Isa lead levels in kids. They dumped him and he’s on the dole. On ya mate.