Issues surrounding the Led Contamination Scare at Esperance.

       "We wonder, if birds had not died en-mass, how long could we have waited to   learn the truth.....that lead was poisoning us, our children, our water?"

                                                                  Locals for Esperance Development (LED Western Australia).

              Those within the Industry or now outside it can help - Medical

              & Legal suggestions are also needed. If you're affected in Esperance, email

              us and tell us about it......

             WE ASK - WHERE WAS THE PROTECTION ?

Here’s just one example as [reported in the West Australian].

A head bureaucrat for the cash strapped Department of Environment and Conservation admitted in the current Parliamentary Inquiry – that D-E-C could not meet all it’s inspection targets.

The paper reported……on one ‘inspection’

“not conducted until February 2007, an auditor again failed to identify that the lead was being shipped as powder and not as pellets — as stipulated on the export licence — because he was standing too far from the ship during loading.”

Responsibility might be contributory and not clear cut . LED is concerned DISCOVERY OF THESE FAILURES COULD SIMPLY DETERIORATE INTO BLAME SHIFTING, BETWEEN THE MINERS, TRANSPORTERS, PORT AND STATE AUTHORITIES…..

The initial plan for lead exports involved Geraldton not Esperance. WE ASK WHAT WERE THE REASONS IT DIDN’T GO AHEAD THERE?

Before and during the Lead Exports did the Port Authority have warning signs about risk or damage being done ?

If so what did the Authority do about it ?

What assessment was done for the export of lead through Geraldton and what stopped it going  ahead ?

What approvals were obtained for Esperance ?

Why was Esperance then chosen and who was involved in the decision to then bring the pelletised lead through Esperance?

What assessment, if any, was done before the license was granted in Esperance?

Show us the evidence of decent community consultation on lead exports and where the community consultation regarding the change to Lead Carbonate was ?

Where was the full environmental review and health risk assessment prior to the decision to allow lead carbonate exports through Esperance ?

Show us evidence of effective dust monitoring and reporting of lead levels .

We understand that Passive Dust Deposition Gauges were used to measure dust levels as an average over one month periods and that this was done for 4 months of the year. Transportation, unloading of the train and loading of the ship can take just a few hours. Given that the most likely cause for escaping dust is through the handling of the lead carbonate, a monthly average sounds inadequate to measure emissions from transport and handling. Averaging dust emissions over a month can mask the real peaks of dust emissions.

We also understand dust monitoring occurred in February, May, August and November. The prevailing winds in summer (N, NE. E, and SE) are generally from the port to the residential area of Esperance. Shouldn’t monitoring occur at ALL TIMES during handling and shipping of the highly toxic lead carbonate ?

What was the exact time lag beteen tests done and results released to the Port?

Did the Port Authority report all results of monitoring to the State Environment Department ?

ALSO WHAT HAS THE PORT DONE TO LIMIT THE DAMAGE FROM ANY LEAD SPILLS AROUND THE WHARF ? WHAT CLEAN-UPS OCCURED AND IF SO DID THE SPILLAGE END UP WASHED INTO THE HARBOUR ?


What state are the lead handling facilities in , on the Esperance Port ? Are they up to the job ?

We also wonder:

How many operational and procedural spills have occurred ?
How many spills of less than one tonne have there been ?
Is there a log of emptying the washdown sump?
Is there a log of the transport of the cleared material back to Magellin?
What practices are in place for cleaning up of this toxic substance?
How is the washdown of contaminated wharf and ground areas after ship loading prevented from going into the ocean?

DID THE PORT HAVE EARLY WARNING SIGNS OF HIGH RISK LEAD LEVELS AND DID IT FAIL TO DO EVERYTHING IT COULD TO ACT ON THEM ?

We ask the following:

Given there is a World Health Organization standard, where is the actionable dust level for lead carbonate in the export and handling license?

Should continuous daily dust monitoring for lead carbonate be a license requirement?

Why is there no DEC a representative in Esperance?

What legal framework or license requirements existed to stop the Port’s operation in the event of dust or other pollution?

Were any of the issues raised in the Audit by DEC in May 2005 followed up?

Were “comparable measures” (to Iron Ore) deemed sufficient by DEC for the Ports Handling of highly toxic lead carbonate?

Given the Port operates 24 hours where is the 24 hour contact point to advise of dust or other pollution problems?

Show us where the Department of Health toxicology section recommendations to the DEC in 2005 on dust monitoring were implemented !

Why wasn’t the community informed of lead being suspected in birds deaths until March 2007

How did the DEC believe they were protecting the community and the environment with their licensing and auditing procedures



IT’S TIME TO ENSURE…..


No further shipment or transportation of Lead in any form through the transport corridor and the Port.

The implementation of Independent dust and pollution monitoring, with the power to stop activities of the port when necessary.