A LARGE number of concerned Esperance residents attended a community meeting at the Seafarer’s centre last Saturday, June 28, to hear the results of a report by the Conservation Council regarding lead in the Esperance environment.

Results from a study by Dr Nic Dunlop were revealed, which showed bush birds in the Esperance region carried lead levels which were some of the highest in the world.

The report sampled 50 individual birds from four sites in the Esperance area, and used the sixth primary feather from each bird to obtain a reading of internal and external lead on the birds.

Dr Dunlop said at the time of the study the birds’ feathers had only been exposed to lead for two or three months.

“Scrubwrens outside the impact zone had a lead level of 3.3 milligrams per kilogram while the average scrubwren near Dempster Head has a lead level of 293 milligrams per kilogram – one scrubwren was found with a level of 730,” Dr Dunlop said.

“To put things into perspective, the lead levels coming out of the ground in the refinery at Wiluna are 400 milligrams per kilogram – these feathers are minable grade.”

He went on to say that the problem was no longer lead in the air, but lead in the environment, and said it could take years, or even decades before the problem goes away.

Dr Dunlop warned that the bird deaths may not yet be over, saying as the lead moved from external to internal an increase in numbers of sick and dead birds was expected.

“We could well see birds die out again for a period of perhaps years.”

Dr Dunlop said the Conservation Council was still interested in examining sick birds, and encouraged people who found dead birds to keep them in the freezer until they could be collected.

The Western Australian Government responded to the report, with Minister for the Environment, David Templeman, saying that while lead levels would continue to be found in the environment for some time, there was substantial evidence that levels had decreased in the nine months since the Conservation Council tests.

Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, Alannah MacTiernan, said the Esperance Port Authority had done a lot of clean-up work since last October, and was expected to complete a comprehensive clean up of the port by August.

“The port has substantially increased its dust monitoring and publishes all results on its website, which shows airborne lead is no longer detectable and falling nickel levels,” she said.

Ms MacTiernan also said the Government’s monitoring, sampling and clean-up activities were continuing.

Following the Conservation Council presentation, a spokesperson for Locals for Esperance Development (LED), Michelle Crisp, revealed the preliminary results from a community study.

The study, which was conducted by LED and the Local Environment Action Forum (LEAF), used data collected only two weeks ago to show that lead and nickel found on the roofs and ceiling voids of houses near the Esperance Port is significantly higher than industrial levels, and is an ongoing risk to the community.

“Claims by the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure that lead is no longer a problem in Esperance are simply creating a greater risk to the community.

“There is absolutely no data that proves, seven months on, lead and nickel in the environment is not a problem.

“We, on the other hand, using our own resources, have data that shows here and now that the community is still exposed to levels of lead that are above healthy levels, and it took us only ten days,” Mrs Crisp said.

“What we want is a long term commitment from the government until our community is safe.

We don’t feel that it is our role to do this monitoring, we want those involved to take responsibility and make monitoring lead levels in the community a priority.”

Dr Nic Dunlop said the results from both studies are very telling about how lead behaves in the environment.

“It’s a very persistent material and very difficult to clean up.

“The community needs to be made aware that lead is likely to still be present on vegetation and surfaces and take appropriate precautions when outdoors,” he said.

Mrs Crisp said the LED report was still in preliminary stages, and will be available to all agencies at a later date.

Ms MacTiernan said she was unable to comment on the report until then.

The Department of Environment and Conservation announced at the community meeting that they will reimburse LEAF for their expenses to run the Conservation Council study, and will continue to fund ongoing monitoring for the new two years.