<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/dec/12/children-lead-exposure-broken-hill-nsw-health-resists-guidelines>
"NSW Health resisted government advice to strengthen protections for children
exposed to lead in Broken Hill, despite internal documents acknowledging that
far lower blood lead levels than those recognised in current guidelines can
harm developing brains.
Newly released documents reveal the Department of Premier and Cabinet urged a
whole-of-government response to consider lowering the blood lead investigation
threshold – the level at which a child’s blood test result should trigger a
health response – from 5 micrograms of lead per decilitre (5μg/dL) to 3.5μg/dL.
This would bring the guidelines in line with international standards and would
mean far more children would qualify for investigation and support. Based on
New South Wales government data, 67% of children in Broken Hill and more than
90% of Aboriginal children would have blood lead levels exceeding 3.5μg/dL.
But NSW Health pushed back against the advice, the documents show, saying it
could not “recommend a change in level for one area in isolation” and changing
thresholds may have “unintended privacy consequences”.
This was despite its own officials acknowledging in the documents that “there
is no safe level of lead”. Even 3.5μg/dL may be associated with “reduced IQ and
attention span, learning disabilities, hyperactivity, behavioural problems,
impaired growth and hearing loss”, a draft briefing note prepared for the chief
health officer, Dr Kerry Chant, in 2023 said.
The documents were obtained under a parliamentary order by the NSW Greens MP
Cate Faehrmann, who described the situation as a “national disgrace”. She said
the government did not have adequate resources to help children captured by the
current guidelines, which she believed was why NSW Health had resisted lowering
the threshold for the current screening program that captures children aged
five and under.
More than two years after the advice was given to the government, the
guidelines remain the same.
“The level of funding available for dealing with the lead contamination issue
in Broken Hill is just pathetic,” Faehrmann said. “Imagine how much government
money would be poured into fixing this if these kids were in Sydney.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
