HUNTER New England Health will soon begin a new round of voluntary testing of blood lead levels in children living in north Lake Macquarie.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The program is in response to recent concern about elevated lead levels found in soil on private and public properties in Boolaroo and neighbouring suburbs.
Australia's health regulator has halved the level at which people are considered to have too much toxic lead in their blood.
Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper has welcomed the new guidelines announced by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
Under the guidelines, intervention must be taken when a person records a blood-lead level greater than 5 micrograms a decilitre. The previous "level of concern" was 10 micrograms a decilitre.
The recommendation follows a review of evidence on the effects of lead on human health by the NHMRC's Lead Working Committee.
The review found the average blood lead level in Australians was now less than 5 micrograms per decilitre, and said any readings above that warranted investigation into the source of the exposure.
Mr Piper, who is the chair of the Community Lead Reference Group, said many developed nations are lowering the intervention level and it is right that Australia is following suit.
"This new standard brings us into line with countries such as Germany, the US and Canada, which have moved to revise their blood lead level targets downwards, and should be adopted as the benchmark for determining satisfactory levels of blood lead among residents of northern Lake Macquarie," Mr Piper said.
"The NHMRC has determined that any reading above five micrograms per decilitre indicates abnormal exposure to lead and should prompt action to reduce that exposure.
"This is particularly important in children, who are at higher risk of adverse health effects from lead contamination."
Testing of blood lead levels in children in the area was last conducted from 2005 to 2006.
North Lake Macquarie has been the focus of attention because of pollution from the former Pasminco lead and zinc smelter highlighted by an ongoing series of articles in the Newcastle Herald.