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Report of the
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Environment
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Report of the
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Environment
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| Blood lead levels | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <10 microg/dL | 13.6 | 20.4 | 26.2 | 32.6 | 41.7 | 43.5 | 48.9 | 52.9 | 57.5 | 58.3 | 64.2 | 67.4 | 68.7 | 72.6 | 78.3 |
| 10-14 microg/dL | 24.6 | 32.3 | 28.4 | 33.0 | 27.5 | 26.2 | 28.8 | 28.8 | 25.8 | 25.4 | 20.6 | 20.4 | 18.3 | 15.8 | 13.2 |
| 15-19 microg/dL | 21.6 | 21.4 | 16.7 | 16.8 | 14.7 | 17.5 | 11.8 | 12.0 | 9.1 | 9.0 | 9.8 | 7.1 | 5.9 | 6.4 | 5.2 |
| >20 microg/dL | 40.2 | 26.0 | 28.7 | 17.6 | 16.2 | 12.8 | 10.5 | 6.4 | 7.6 | 7.2 | 5.4 | 5.1 | 7.1 | 5.1 | 3.3 |
| Note: | NHMRC maximum permissible blood lead level is 10 micrograms per decilitre (microg/dL). |
| Source: | Broken Hill Child and Family Centre, Lead Program. |
All effects of human exposure to lead are adverse (NHMRC, 1993). In 1993, the National Health and Medical Research Council adopted a resolution that a permissible blood lead level for all Australians should be below 10 micrograms per decilitre (0.48 micromoles per litre) and that it was particularly urgent to achieve this goal in children aged one to four because of the adverse effects of lead exposure on intellectual development (NHMRC, 1993).
Small children engaging in hand-mouth activity are particularly at risk of ingesting lead. Lead particles on eating utensils and flakes of lead paint in soil or house dust are known sources of lead exposure. Air lead levels in urban areas have significantly decreased since 1985 due to the removal of lead from petrol.
Broken Hill, North Lake Macquarie, and Port Kembla have been the major sites of lead mining and processing in NSW. Broken Hill was one of the world's largest lead mines. Natural deposition, and lead mining and smelting, have left a legacy of widespread lead contamination throughout the city.
The NSW Lead Management Action Plan prepared with contribution from 16 NSW Government agencies in 1994 established the course of action on lead in NSW. The activities have included blood lead monitoring and case management, collaboration with industry to reduce emissions, removal of lead contaminated soil and house dust, and community education (EPA, 1994).
Elevated blood lead levels became a notifiable condition in NSW in 1997. Most notifications in children are from known contaminated areas or associated with home renovations. In Broken Hill the monitoring of blood lead levels in children, case management and lead education by the Children's Lead Management Program are part of the Child and Family Centre.
There has been a steady decline in blood lead levels among preschool children living in Broken Hill over recent years. The percentage of children with blood lead levels in the permissible range has increased from 14% in 1991 to 78% in 2005. Blood lead levels in Aboriginal children in Broken Hill (about 75% of relevant population has been tested) had been decreasing at an even more rapid rate and there was almost 80% improvement between 1998 and 2005. Nevertheless, in 2005, still only 54% of Aboriginal children had blood lead levels within the permissible levels and 3% had levels above 29 micrograms per decilitre while none of non-Aboriginal children had levels that high (Balding B et al., 2006).
| For more information: |
National Health and Medical Research Council. Revision of the Australian guidelines for lead in blood and lead in ambient air. Report of the 115th session of the NHMRC. Canberra: AGPS, 1993. Available at www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/_files/115th.pdf. The Department of Environment and Conservation Lead Reference Centre. Available at: www.epa.nsw.gov.au/leadsafe/publications.htm. Publications include advice for home renovators. Balding B, Lesjak M, Kennedy C. Blood lead trends in children aged less than 5 years, 2005. Greater Western Area Health Service, 2006, unpublished. Lyle D, Balding B, Burke H, Begg S. NSW lead management program in Broken Hill. NSW Public Health Bull 2001; 12(6):165-167. Boreland F, Lyle DM. Lead dust in Broken Hill homes: effect of remediation on indoor lead levels. Environmental Research. 100(2):276-83, 2006. Interdepartmental Lead Taskforce. New South Wales Lead Management Action Plan. Sydney: NSW Environment Protection Authority, 1994. Department of Environment and Conservation. New South Wales State of the Environment 2003. Sydney: Department of Environment and Conservation, 2003. Available at www.environment.nsw.gov.au/SOE/soe2003/index.htm. The next edition of the report is expected at the end of 2006. |
| Print version: | Although this page can be printed directly from your Web browser, a higher quality version of this entire page (graph, table and text) is available as an Acrobat PDF file which can be printed or viewed on screen using free software. |
| Downloadable files: | The data contained in the table on this page are available for download as a CSV file which can be imported into many software packages. The graph is available for download as an EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) file and as an EMF (Enhanced Metafile Format) file. Files in these formats can be imported into most word processing, presentation and graphics software packages. |
| Copyright notice: | This work is copyright NSW Department of Health, 2006. It may be reproduced in whole or in part, subject to the inclusion of an acknowledgement of the source. Commercial usage or sale is prohibited. |
| Suggested citation: | Population Health Division. The health of the people of New South Wales - Report of the Chief Health Officer. Sydney: NSW Department of Health. Available at: http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/public-health/chorep/env/env_pbhem.htm. Accessed (insert date of access). |
| Produced by: | Centre for Epidemiology and Research, Population Health Division, NSW Department of Health. |
| Last updated on: | 30 November 2006 |
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