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Toxic heavy metals in Tasmania

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Toxic heavy metals in Tasmania is one of the priority areas of the Pollution Information Tasmania, a community network dedicated to investigating and documenting pollution in the state of Tasmania, Australia.[1]. Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania is the working group conducting research and campaigning.

TPEHN joined the Lock the Gate Alliance in April 2013. Lock the Gate Alliance (The mission of the Lock the Gate Alliance is to protect Australia’s natural, environmental, cultural and agricultural resources from inappropriate mining and to educate and empower all Australians to demand sustainable solutions to food and energy production).

Contents

PROPOSED MINING POLICY FOR TASMANIA

Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania (THMTT) and Tasmanian Public & Environmental Health Network's Mining Policy is underpinned by a call for a moratorium on all new mines in Tasmania. A future Mining Policy will require the Tasmanian Government to:


  • Ensure that government undertakes regular independent monitoring, audits reports submitted by companies and investigates complaints regarding mining practices. The government must also commit to taking appropriate enforcement action where companies are not complying with regulatory requirements.
  • Resource, staff and fund the Tasmanian Environment Protection Authority, Mineral Resources Tasmania and the Contaminated Sites Unit to regulate, monitor and police activities by mining companies.
  • Resource, staff and fund the Public and Environmental Health Service within the Tasmanian Department of Health and Human Services to conduct independent and thorough public and environmental health investigations in areas affected by mine pollution.
  • Return to 8 hour shifts for mine workers and mandatory annual blood and urinary testing for multiple metals
  • Reform of environmental assessment of mining projects to provide for Environmental Impact Assessments to be conducted by independent experts.
  • Refer applications for Mine exploration or mining leases on land that has Aboriginal heritage to the Tasmanian Aboriginal Land and Sea Council for assessment and determination.
  • Prohibit mining of uranium, coal seam gas and further expansion of coal mining.
  • Protection of all good farm land from mining.
  • Protection of all National Parks, protected areas and reserves from mining.
  • Protection for all Geodiversity and Geoheritage Sites from mining.
  • Review in consultation with farmers and communities all areas subject to exploration licenses and mining leases on land where communities could be affected and consider the impacts on these communities prior to any decision to renew existing tenements.
  • Ensure minimum separation distances to sensitive uses set out in the Code of Practice are maintained.
  • Reject mine exploration licenses or mine leases to companies that breach human rights during their operations in other countries or do not comply in those countries with environmental guidelines operating in Australia.
  • Allocate a proportion of Resource Rent Tax on 50% of Mining company profits to fund:
  • Government regulation, monitoring and policing of mining activities.
  • Independent population based public and environmental health research at abandoned and existing mine sites where people's health or aboriginal heritage is at risk or environments, fauna and flora threatened.
  • Additional independent health services for miners and former miners and their families.
  • Update to parity with United States EPA Health Investigation Levels, Environmental Investigation Levels, trigger and remediation levels for metals and chemicals.
  • Conduct a Review of scurity deposits to effectively fund the ""Mining Lands Rehabilitation Trust Fund to conduct effective remediation to protect human and environmental health.
  • Establish world best practice performance standards for the rehabilitation of all mine sites.

14 November, 2011

Arsenic in Tasmania - Public Health Investigations - Rosebery and Royal George Case Studies

[To be developed]

Acid Mine Drainage in Tasmania

[To be developed]

Do It Yourself Heavy Metal Testing kits

The LEAD Group Incorporated has designed test kits to test houses, gardens and play areas for toxic heavy metals. You take the samples (soil, house dust, suspicious paint flakes off household surfaces or childrens' toys, etc) and send them to be tested.

The basic 2-sample kit will test for lead Pb ($A50 per sample) with an extra $A9 per sample for each extra heavy metal test requested - e.g. arsenic, chromium, cadmium and copper. You pay the postage back to the testing lab; there is usually less than 2-week turnaround time for results.

The DYI testing brochure with information on the 2-sample and 8-sample kits are available.[2]

The Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania (THMTT) was set up by a group of Rosebery residents and other concerned Tasmanians

Articles and resources

Related SourceWatch articles

References

  1. ↑ "Telling the Truth about Toxics in Tasmania", Tasmanian Times, August 2, 2009.
  2. ↑ Do It Yourself sampling and lab test kits for heavy metals, The Lead Group Inc. [1]

External resources

Don't drink the water, Ian Townsend, ABC Radio National, Background Briefing, 31st March, 2013, [2]
  • The LEAD Group Inc. campaigns for the removal of lead from petrol and other products and conducts an advice,& information and counseling service about lead.
Childhood lead exposure linked to crime in adulthood, Professor Mark Taylor et al, The Conversation, 10th April, 2013, [3]

Reports

Reports for THMTT are listed below:


External articles

Media releases on Rosebery

Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania, Media releases for THMTT are listed below:

Media releases on Royal George and the St Pauls's and South Esk Rivers

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