Australia: A new study has found that while the washing of playground equipment in
mining towns does reduce children's exposure to dust metals by 55.9%,
recontamination occurs within 24 hours. The study was based in Port
Pirie, South Australia, where lead smelting has taken place since 1889.
Dust with metals (arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead and zinc) in Port Pirie
playgrounds have been recorded at levels well above state and
international benchmarks. The research team was led by Professor Mark
Taylor of Macquarie University, who in a 2013 study showed that
atmospheric emissions from the Port Pirie smelter were directly related
to surface dust and hand metal exposures from playground equipment.
A new study has found that while the washing of playground equipment
in mining towns does reduce children's exposure to dust metals by 55.9%,
recontamination occurs within 24 hours.
The study was based in
Port Pirie, South Australia, where lead smelting has taken place since
1889. Dust with metals (arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead and zinc) in Port
Pirie playgrounds have been recorded at levels well above state and
international benchmarks.
The research team was led by Professor
Mark Taylor of Macquarie University, who in a 2013 study showed that
atmospheric emissions from the Port Pirie smelter were directly related
to surface dust and hand metal exposures from playground equipment.
"Where
lead exposures are well documented and their sources known, such as in
Port Pirie, intervention programs are used to reduce exposures. We
wanted to assess the efficacy of washing or wet mopping the play
equipment to reduce children's exposure to the toxins," said Professor
Taylor.
"We tested four playgrounds, and found that although post-play hand wipe
metals were lower on wash days, the washing benefits were short lived,
particularly at playgrounds closest to the smelter, where
recontamination was almost immediate."
Childhood lead exposure
remains a persistent problem in Australia's primary smelting and mining
cities, with 21%, 4.8% and 22.7% of children under five years of age in
Broken Hill, Mount Isa, and Port Pirie, respectively, having a blood
lead level above 10 µg/dL, the current Australian goal (which is under
review).
"The results clearly show that while washing play
equipment reduces metal loading on playgrounds and hands after play, it
does not resolve the problem of emissions and their depositions on
community playgrounds. The only permanent way to protect children from
exposure to dust metals is to eliminate or significantly reduce smelter
emissions, which is purported to occur in Port Pirie following the
completion of the $514 million smelter transformation project," said
Professor Taylor.
"In the meantime, frequent hand and equipment washing is recommended for
limited protection, and ongoing testing and lower standards for all
environmental metals in Port Pirie is an absolute necessity for maximum
environmental and human health protection."