Incorporating Lead Aware Times ( ISSN 1440-4966) and Lead Advisory Service News ( ISSN 1440-0561)
The journal of The LEAD (Lead Education and Abatement Design) Group Inc.
The LEAD Group’s Wish
List
Good News that we are Looking Forward to Hearing
Let us know if you
hear it first!! eg:
Hunter LEAD Group Branch obtains
funding to run a community based information, advisory and education
service in the Hunter region of NSW which helps to achieve the NHMRC
target for blood lead levels around the Pasminco smelter at Cockle
Creek;
NSW State Government restores 27%
funding cut to the Lead Advisory Service (LAS) NSW. With LAS fully
functional and more doctors asking parents about lead risk factors,
the NHMRC blood lead targets are achieved in Sydney, Port Kembla and
Broken Hill in NSW;
NSW State Government signs five-year
contract for ongoing LAS work and expansion to other heavy metals and
asbestos;
Car-use in Sydney, as measured by VKT
(average vehicle kilometres travelled per annum per car) and the
number of cars registered, starts to reduce (instead of constantly
rising as it currently does) by the time of the Sydney Olympics. Other
cities follow suit;
NSW is the first Australian state to
introduce licensing of lead assessors and lead abatement contractors.
Other states follow suit;
NSW is the first state to implement
the WorkSafe Code of Practice for Lead at Work and achieves
zero workers with blood lead levels above the NHMRC target for all
Australians, by the year 2002. Other states follow suit;
Federal Cradle to Grave Legislation
requires that all mining and smelting companies take responsibility
for their toxic minerals from mining to final disposal;
Large car dependent multi-national
companies (like McDonalds) devise a car-use reduction policy and
protect workers and children from vehicle emissions in drive-thru
restaurants and other consumer services;
NSW introduces Californian
Proposition 65-type legislation which requires labelling of all
products which are associated with cancer or birth defects eg petrol
pumps are required to be labelled "WARNING – exposure to petrol
is associated with cancer". Other states follow suit;
NSW introduces legislation to require
warning labels on all products that can be used to create lead
contamination eg heat guns, orbital sanders eg "WARNING – if
used on leaded paint this tool can cause lead poisoning – PROTECT
THE WORKERS AND RESIDENTS – and this tool can cause lead
contamination – PROTECT YOUR ENVIRONMENT!" Other states follow;
All government agencies in Australia
become good role models for lead-use reduction (including car-use
reduction) and lead-safe work practices (eg non-lead bullets for
police shooting ranges). Councils ensure childcare centres and early
childhood centres in Council-owned premises, are lead-safe and
renovated (when required) in a lead-safe manner;
The Federal Government has decided to
put the leaded petrol tax money (now 2.2 cents per litre) back into
lead, including:-
Funding for The LEAD Group’s
national LEADLINE telephone advisory service;
Introducing national universal child
lead risk questionnaire screening;
Giving adequate funding to expert
Australian lead researchers like Professor Brian Gulson;
Banning the following consumer
products:-
leaded petrol, lead shot, lead
bullets, lead flashing, lead fishing sinkers, industrial / automotive
leaded paint, leaded PVC products (domestic and imported), imported
leaded mirror backing paints, lead pellets for stuffing teddy bears,
leaded brass and bronze especially in water filters, leaded plastic
cling-wrap for food, toys and children's cups with lead weights,
leaded curtain weights and diving weights. Other nations in South East
Asia follow suit;
OECD countries will implement the Declaration on Risk Reduction for Lead"
adopted by the OECD Council at its 869th Session on
20/2/96; Non-OECD countries follow suit;
The World Bank, OECD and United
Nations Environment Program fund The LEAD Group to run a lead
clearinghouse and advisory service for the whole of South East Asia;
The service is expanded to include
other heavy metals and asbestos;