QUEENSLAND health authorities are testing 400 children in Mt Isa for exposure to lead from the town's giant smelters.
It's important to measure the blood-lead levels of young children in Mt Isa, due to its industry and location in a highly mineralised area, regional director of environmental health services John Piispanen said. Childhood exposure to lead can have harmful effects on intellectual development and cause behavioural problems.
Political considerations had been blamed for preventing the introduction of air-quality monitoring and mandatory health checks at Mt Isa's two smelters.
The Australian revealed earlier that a senior manager at the Queensland Environment Protection Agency blamed political considerations for preventing the introduction of air-quality monitoring and mandatory community health checks at Mt Isa's smelters, the largest source of lead emissions in Australia.
Mass screening has not been completed for at least five years.
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