Environmental Science, Department of Environment and Geography, Faculty of Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
Safety and Environmental Management, Australian Catholic University, North Sydney, NSW 2060, Australia.
Environ Int. 2014 Sep;70:113-7. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2014.04.023. Epub 2014 Jun 10.
Globally, childhood blood lead levels have fallen precipitously in developed countries since the 1970s following action by international bodies such as the WHO and Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. These reductions have been affected by the activities of national agencies such as the US EPA and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the establishment of air lead and blood lead standards, the introduction of legislation to remove lead from petrol, paint and consumer products and tighter restrictions on lead emissions. The outcome of recent major international reviews of research into the effects of low-level lead exposures (e.g. by WHO, USA health and environmental agencies, German and Canadian health bodies) has resulted in recommendations to reduce and eliminate lead exposures. By contrast, Australian policy responses to the incontrovertible evidence that adverse neurocognitive and behavioural effects that occur at levels well below the current national goal of 10μg/dL have stalled. The delayed response by Australia occurs at a time when blood lead levels in two of Australia's three primary lead mining and smelting cities: Port Pirie, South Australia and Broken Hill, New South Wales, are rising. In the third city, Mount Isa, Queensland, there is still no systematic, annual testing of childhood blood lead values. This is despite the fact that Mount Isa has the highest lead (and other toxic metals such as cadmium and arsenic) emissions to the environment (120tonnes of lead in 2011/12) from any single point source in Australia. It is clear that both state and national policy approaches to the ongoing risks of lead exposure need to be revised urgently and in line with contemporary international standards. Recommended changes should include a new lower blood lead intervention level of no more than 5μg/dL, with a national goal for all children under 5years of age to have a blood lead level of below 1μg/dL by 2020. In order to achieve any new lower exposure goals other relevant lead standards including air, dust, soil and water must also be revised downwards.
在全球范围内，自 20 世纪 70 年代以来，世界卫生组织（WHO）和联合国粮食及农业组织（FAO）等国际机构采取行动，发达国家儿童血铅水平急剧下降。这些减少受到美国环保署（EPA）和美国疾病控制与预防中心（US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention）等国家机构的活动的影响，这些机构制定了空气铅和血铅标准，出台了从汽油、油漆和消费品中去除铅的立法，并对铅排放实施了更严格的限制。最近对低水平铅暴露影响的研究进行的重大国际审查的结果（例如由世界卫生组织、美国卫生和环境机构、德国和加拿大卫生机构进行的审查）导致了减少和消除铅暴露的建议。相比之下，澳大利亚对无可争议的证据做出的政策反应却停滞不前，这些证据表明，在目前国家目标值 10μg/dL 以下的水平，就会出现不良的神经认知和行为影响。澳大利亚的反应迟缓发生在澳大利亚三个主要铅矿和冶炼城市中的两个城市——南澳大利亚州的皮里港（Port Pirie）和新南威尔士州的布罗肯希尔（Broken Hill）的血铅水平正在上升的时候。在第三个城市昆士兰州的芒特艾萨（Mount Isa），仍然没有对儿童血铅值进行系统的、年度检测。尽管如此，芒特艾萨从澳大利亚任何一个单一的点源向环境排放的铅（以及其他有毒金属，如镉和砷）是最高的（2011/12 年为 120 吨）。显然，州和国家都需要紧急修订现行的针对铅暴露的政策方法，使之符合当代国际标准。建议的修改应包括一个新的更低的血铅干预水平，不超过 5μg/dL，到 2020 年，所有 5 岁以下儿童的血铅水平都应低于 1μg/dL。为了实现任何新的更低的暴露目标，还必须对其他相关的铅标准进行修订，包括空气、灰尘、土壤和水的标准。
