Port pollution spikes ‘below environmental levels’ Air cleared on lead

THE loading of metal concentrates at the Port of Townsville and the burning of bunker fuel by ships is being blamed for spikes in lead concentrations in the air.

But government agencies and mining company South32 – while not denying that lead is coming from the port – say the average amount of lead found in air samples collected near the port is well below environmental guidelines and is safe.

Lead pollution has been a contentious issue in Townsville, particularly since environmental scientist Professor Mark Taylor in 2014 found relatively high levels of lead, arsenic, nickel and cadmium in playground dirt at The Strand, Rowes Bay and Reid Park.

The port formed a stakeholder working group in 2015 to tackle the issue.

Now a former community representative from that group, retired engineering lecturer Clive Berger, has published a report claiming to have identified a likely source of the pollution and calling for testing of people for blood lead levels.

“I think there’s enough questions there to check (blood lead levels),” Mr Berger said.

“I think all the young kids that are living in proximity to the port should be checked.”

A Queensland Health official said a targeted blood lead monitoring program was not warranted.

“The Air Quality Bulletin North Queensland February 2019 identifies low average levels of lead at the Department of Environment and Science’s Townsville Coast Guard monitoring site,” the official said.

The official said a blood lead exposure of 5 micrograms per decalitre or more was a notifiable condition and that Queensland Health would act if any elevated blood lead levels were identified in the Townsville community. Mr Berger analysed data from an air monitoring station near the Coast Guard building on Ross Creek, finding lead concentrations were greater when the wind was blowing from the port, and greater still when ships were at berth 11 or a container ship was in port.

Berth 11 is used by South32 to load metal concentrates.

“The analysis shows that when wind direction is from the port and ships are present at berth 11 … there is a significant increase in lead concentration in air in inner Townsville,” the report says.

“The high lead levels, which were unrelated to berth 11 activity, occurred when container ships were in port. It is possible the bunker fuel exhaust may be responsible for these remaining high lead measurements.”

A South32 official said it operated its port facility in accordance with regulatory permits, while the port referred the Townsville Bulletin to a “frequently asked questions” document prepared by the working group.

It says, in part, that levels of ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and lead have never exceeded standards for protection of human health since monitoring began in 2004.