The Sun Herald 7-3-93 Labor plans to cut lead levels in petrol
By Heath Gilmore 

"Labor proposes to halve lead levels in petrol across Australia in a final bid to shore up the environmental vote before next Saturday's election".

"Speaking at Richmond, near Sydney, Environment Minister Ros Kelly confirmed the lead plan, saying legislation to enforce it would be drawn up within six months if Labor won".

The Australian 25-3-93 p3 Fahey to cut lead in petrol
By Ean Higgins

"The NSW Premier, Mr Fahey, said yesterday his Government would require petroleum companies to cut the lead content in petrol to 0.3 grams a litre within a year and to 0.15 grams a litre as soon as feasible thereafter" .

Consuming Interest April 1993  pp22-4 The problem of lead - proposals for a new battle plan
By Chloë Mason "Federal and state government authorities should heed the concern of the community, think beyond petty political and demarcation issues, and take immediate action to create a national, integrated strategy aimed at halting this progressive poisoning of our environment, our homes, our children and ourselves".

Weekend Independent p3 2-4-93 Petrol to contain less lead
by Elspeth Walker 

"The Queensland government will look at reducing the amount of lead in leaded fuel. This follows action recently announced by the New South Wales government”.

Weekend Australian 24 p7, 25-4-93 Fears over polluted rivers

By JULIAN CRIBB 

"Heavy metal contamination of sediments in the rivers, creeks and bays off Sydney Harbour and Botany Bay has been uncovered by a Sydney University scientific team.

"Lead levels ranged as high as 900 parts per million in Salt Pan Creek, the Cooks River and southern bays of the Parramatta River estuary - compared with a background level of less than 50 ppm".

"During studies of the use of mussels as pollution monitors, a team led by ANSTO's Dr Ross Jeffree found heavy metals entered the animal by the same route that it absorbs calcium to build its shell or bones. In the absence of sufficient calcium for its needs, the creature takes up heavy metals by mistake."

Utusan Konsumer p18, Penang mid May 1993

Lead and the link to children's IQ GLOBAL NOTEBOOK" A large new study by a research team at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, is the first to examine the benefits of reducing lead levels in children who have no obvious symptoms of lead poisoning.

"On average, they found that for each three-microgram drop in lead there was a corresponding one-point improvement in the children's performance on IQ tests. In the group of children who responded best to treatment, a drop up to 30 micrograms lead was noted, which would correspond to a 10 point increase in intelligence scores".

Daily Telegraph Mirror  p19. 21-5-93 Pray as you urn a cuppa

"The West Australian Health Dept said yesterday recent samples had revealed high levels of metal in the water in some cappuccino machines.

"And in one case the level was nearly 20 times the standard."

Sydney Morning Herald 22-5-93 Lead contamination worry in Broken Hill
by ANDREW TAYLOR

"Already, four Broken Hill children, with blood lead levels almost three times as high as those recommended as safe in Australia, and six times as high as levels seen as safe in the United States, have had to be chemically treated to remove the heavy metal from their systems. "The report found the concentration of fine particles of lead in the soil in one small part of the town was 67 times the recommended levels."

Sydney Morning Herald  p8 24-5-93 Lead exposure targeted
By TONY HEWETT

"The delegates at the meeting of the Australian New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council (ANZECC) described lead contamination as one of the most crucial health and environ­mental concerns facing Australia"

The Australian 24-5-93 p14

Kelly kicks off petrol drive "After a meeting of ANZECC in Sydney at the weekend, Mrs Kelly foreshadowed Australia would take steps to eliminate most lead in petrol as the United States and Canada have done".

The Australian 24-5-93 Overdue move to lower lead levels Editorial

"In the face of compelling and consistent scientific reports showing lead to be more danger­ous, and in smaller quantities, than previously thought, Austral­ian authorities are considering reducing the standard to 15 mic­rograms. Their review, however, has been interminable. In the meantime the United States ­lauded by Mrs Kelly for tackling the leaded petrol issue - has long since reduced its standard to 10 micrograms. "

Telegraph Mirror 25-5-93 Car push to get the lead out
By SCOTT ELLIS

"Owners of all cars capable of running on unleaded petrol were today urged to make the switch to the ' greener' fuel."

The Age 27-5-93 Call for price incentive to reduce use of leaded petrol
By HUGO KELLY

"The Federal Government is expected to consider making leaded petrol up to three cents a litre more expensive than un­leaded fuel as part of a campaign to reduce lead pollution."

The Australian 28-5-93 Our lead levels are still much too high
 Letter to the editor by ELIZABETH O'BRIEN

"The LEAD Group is concerned that any change to Australia's blood lead 'level of concern' which settles on a figure above 10ug/dL, would be based on political rather than medical factors".

The Australian  p6 28-5-93 Low lead in petrol may save $4.6bn
By JULIAN CRIBB

"Governments could save the economy $4.6 billion by reducing childhood brain damage and adult heart attacks and strokes caused by leaded petrol, a new study has found".

Sydney Morning Herald 28-5-93 Pasminco expects another $60m loss
By BRUCE HEXTALL

"The big base metals miner declared that at best this year's result before abnormal charges would equal last year's loss due to wayward zinc prices, for which the depreciation in the Australian dollar had failed to compensate."

The Advertiser  P 14 29-5-93 Blitz on old jalopies to cut lead levels
By JENNY TURNER

"The oil industry representative body, the Australian Institute of Petroleum, has joined the push for lower lead levels in petrol. AlP executive director Mr Jim Starkey said the industry was doing all it could to keep prices down, and at the same time produce an environmentally sound product. "He said it was impossible for the industry to cut the level of lead in petrol immediately without directly affecting petrol prices."

Sydney Morning Herald p46 29-5-93 Moments from MELTDOWN ­The awful truth of Chernobyl
By PIERS PAUL READ

"The only way to stop the emission of radionuclides and put out the fire was to smother the burning reactor with sand. This would have to be dropped into the crater by helicopters, and to the loads of sand should be added boron, dolomite and lead."

Newcastle Herald 8-6-93 A lead on lead Editorial

The National Health and Medical Research Council wisely set a lower target last week for concentrations of lead in blood, more than halving the previously accepted level to less than 10 micrograms of lead in each decilitre of blood.

"While anti-lead groups have criticised the NHMRC for setting no date for achievement of the lower target, that task is really the province of politicians."

OLD NEWS

Sydney Morning Herald 7-7-81 Lead-free petrol switch postponed
By RICHARD ECKERSLEY

"The change-over to lead-free petrol in NSW will now begin in 1985 - one year later than planned - as part of a compromise to get all the states moving together on the issue."