Clean Air and Noise Abatement Branch, Public Health Department, Western Australia.

Whole blood lead levels, free erythrocyte protoporphyrin (FEP) concentrations, and hair lead levels were measured in 181 schoolchildren resident in and around the town of Northampton, Western Australia, where tailings from a lead mine have been used extensively for ground surfacing and other purposes. Mean blood lead levels were 0.68 mumol/L (14.0 micrograms/100 mL) in boys and 0.5 mumol/L (10.4 micrograms/100 mL) in girls, the highest being 2.27 mumol/L (47 micrograms/100 mL). Nine children (5%) had blood lead levels above 1.21 mumol/L (25 micrograms/100 mL) and four had levels above 1.21 mumol/L (25 micrograms/100 mL) and four had levels above 1.45 mumol/L (30 micrograms/100 mL). Four of these children had FEP levels above 2.0 mumol/L. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean blood lead levels of children resident in the town (man blood lead level, 0.63 mumol/L (13.1 micrograms/100 mL)) compared with those resident out of the town 0.55 mumol/L (11.3 micrograms/100 mL). The presence of lead tailings in the town may account for the small difference.