Leading the way

Canary in a coal mine

Thank god; it's only a few thousand birds.


Lead mine probe showing birds, not humans affected

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Lead poisoning that has led to a rash of bird deaths in Australia and halted shipments from the Magellan lead mine was not threatening human lives, early health findings showed.

Canada's Ivernia Inc. (IVW.TO: Quote) was continuing to operate the mine in Australia ever since shipments from the site to the Port of Esperance were halted by the Western Australian Department of Environment Conservation (DEC) about a week ago.

Up to 4,000 birds died in Esperance between early December and January, prompting the DEC to direct port operators to increase monitoring of air quality before allowing further shipments of lead-bearing material.

In the immediate Esperance townsite more than 100 bird deaths were reported a little over a week ago, mostly purple-crowned lorikeets, a nomadic species not reported in earlier mass deaths, according to the DEC.


The Magellan mine yielded 63,200 tonnes of lead metal in a concentrate last year, most of which was shipped to smelting firms in China after being trucked 700 kilometers (430 miles) across the Australian outback to ships in Esperance.

Once at full production, which the company expects the mine to reach in the second half of this year, it will account for about 3 percent of the world's lead supply.

Concentrate -- ground ore rich in lead -- was being stockpiled at the mine site while investigators looked for more signs of poisoning.

Western Australia Department of Health director Jim Dodds said 84 port workers tested last week returned lead levels well below recommended guidelines of 50 micrograms per deciliter.

"In fact, 75 percent of these workers had levels below 10 micrograms per deciliter, which is very pleasing," Dodds said in a statement.

Lead-related native bird deaths continue

Western Australia's Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) says its latest tests show that the lead which caused thousands of native bird deaths in Esperance last year has also caused more fatalities in the past week.

Nearly 200 birds have been found dead this month in the south coast town and yesterday the DEC revealed a sample of 10 carcasses containing lead levels up to 10 times higher than a fatal dose.

On Monday the Esperance Port suspended lead shipments while the source of the heavy metal is found.

DEC spokesman Dave Mell says they have started to collect native flowers to assess whether the birds are ingesting the lead.

He says the location of the bodies when they were found is unlikely to help ascertain the source of the poisoning.

"It's possible they're feeding away from the zone, coming into an area to roost and then dying while they're roosting. That's one possibility," Mr Mell said.

"The other possibility is that they're suffering from an acute poisoning event and they're not moving very far from the area where they've ingested the poison."

Public urged to keep open mind about bird deaths

The Esperance Port Authority has urged the community in south-eastern Western Australia to keep an open mind about thousands of bird deaths in the region, despite its decision to suspend all lead shipments.

Yesterday, the port's board decided to suspend lead shipments after test results showed the heavy metal was the likely cause of the bird deaths.

[Chief executive Colin Stewart says] "From the port's point of view the most important issue for us is the health and welfare of our own employees who work down here," he said.

"Now, we monitor their blood lead levels and the like and we have experienced nothing to cause concern at this point in time, but it's important that we look after our employees and the community and wildlife."

The company's managing director, Pat Scott, says Magellan is happy to stockpile lead concentrate in the short-term, but could consider the Geraldton Port or other options if it has to.

"We'll obviously look at where things are at, but I would be very surprised if anything other than a continuation of operations as normal wasn't the case for at least some time to come while we work out what we want to do," he said.

Nickel contamination feared from port

DEC last week ordered the port to stop receiving and shipping lead carbonate, after it determined more than 4000 birds which died in the area had been victims of lead poisoning, prompting a health scare.

Tests of rain water tanks by Esperance Shire Council found about 10 per cent of tested tanks had higher than recommended levels of lead, and about a third had higher than recommended levels of nickel.

WA Health Minister Jim McGinty said yesterday that while not as serious as lead, nickel pollution was also a serious concern.

Director of Environmental Health Jim Dodds maintained there was no evidence, at this stage, that human health had been affected by lead contaminants.

"However, we acknowledge community concern, and the department is running a lead testing clinic at the Esperance Hospital to take blood tests and provide health information for concerned members of the community," he said.

Children under the age of five and pregnant women were most at risk from the effects of lead, he said.

Mr Dodds said 84 port workers tested last week had levels well below the current WA occupational health and safety guidelines.

In addition, test results from 13 community members who were voluntarily tested last week had also come back well under World Health Organisation guidelines.