News Briefs

Gun instructors exposed to lead

The NSW Police Service is to test its 350 weapons instructors for blood lead levels, following concerns raised by its occupational health and safety staff.

Most bullets are lead based and firing guns emits lead particles. The 16 year old Sydney Police Centre with its underground weapons range and outdated ventilation system is a site of particular concern.

Other weapons ranges of concern are indoor training centres in Penrith, Newcastle and Goulburn.
(Reprinted from the Daily Telegraph 19^th February, 1998)

Dangers of smoking and alcohol during pregnancy

A study of 430 mothers and their newborn babies found there was a relationship between the level of lead in the blood of the placental cord and the mother's alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking.

Multi-variant analysis revealed that cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption make significant and independent contributions to cord blood lead concentrations.

The study was carried out in two hospitals in Quebec, Canada, in 1990.

Lifestyles of pregnant women appear to be an important factor in prenatal exposure to lead.

The study estimated that every 10 cigarettes a day increased cord blood lead levels by about 15%.

For mothers who did not smoke but drank alcohol moderately, cord blood lead levels were about 17% higher than for non-smoking, non-drinking mothers.
[Editor’s note: The definition of "moderate drinking" was not included in the abstract]

The authors concluded that "our study provided further evidence to support public health advisories concerning the harmful effects of smoking and drinking alcohol during pregnancy".

Rhainds, M and Levalloris, P "Effects of maternal cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption on blood lead levels of newborns" American J. of Epidemiology Feb 1997 1:145 (3) pp. 250-7

Lead Paint Management Courses available

Three courses are to be conducted by the Centre for Open Education, Macquarie University. They are:

Lead Paint Management – The Key Issues. Tuesday 6 October 9am – 12.30pm. An introductory half day course, presented as a stand-alone overview of the key issues involved, for senior managers and planners. This unit also forms the foundation for the longer courses. Cost: $175 including morning tea.

Lead Paint Management in Residential and Commercial Buildings. 2 day course Tues and Wed 6 & 7 Oct 9am – 5pm. Detailed training in lead paint management, including OH&S issues, lead paint identification, assessment of paint condition, debris containment, waste handling and basic paint removal methods. Sufficient detail for those involved in specifying, managing or supervising lead paint removal in residential or commercial buildings. Cost: $485 incl. morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea.

Industrial Lead Paint Management. 3 day course Tues, Wed and Thurs 6, 7, 8 October 9am – 5pm. This course is an extension of the 2 day course, but also deals with matters relevant to industrial Lead Paint Management, covering maintenance strategies, simplified risk assessment, emission control levels, large scale containment considerations and environmental monitoring. This course seeks to provide the required level of training for "Responsible Person for Industrial Lead Paint Management," as defined in AS 4361.1, and to meet the corresponding training requirements under the PCCP (Painting Contractors Certification Program) scheme. Cost: $725 incl. morning teas, lunches & afternoon teas. All course notes are included.

For an application form telephone: 9850 7470.