Toxic heavy metals in Tasmania

Toxic heavy metals in Tasmania is one of the priority areas of the Pollution Information Tasmania, a community network dedicated to investigating and documenting pollution in the state of Tasmania, Australia.. Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania is the working group conducting research and campaigning.

Do It Yourself Heavy Metal Testing kits

The LEAD Group Incorporated has designed test kits to test houses, gardens and play areas for toxic heavy metals. You take the samples (soil, house dust, suspicious paint flakes off household surfaces or childrens' toys, etc) and send them to be tested.

The basic 2-sample kit will test for lead Pb ($A50 per sample) with an extra $A9 per sample for each extra heavy metal test requested - e.g. arsenic, chromium, cadmium and copper. You pay the postage back to the testing lab; there is usually less than 2-week turnaround time for results.

The DYI testing brochure with information on the 2-sample and 8-sample kits are available.

The Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania (THMTT) was set up by a group of Rosebery residents and other concerned Tasmanians

Media releases on Royal George and Rosebery

Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania, Media releases for THMTT are listed below:

• The LEAD Group Incorporated and Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania, "Arsenic and Lead in drinking water – flawed advice on testing. Residents notified of alarming levels of arsenic and lead in drinking water at Royal George, but poor advice given to doctors on how to test for exposure", Media Release, September 3, 2010.
• The LEAD Group Incorporated and Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania, "Toxics Groups Reject Mine / DHSS Findings", Media Release, July 29, 2010.
• Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania & GLASS, "International Spotlight On Arsenic And Lead Poisoning In Australian Lead Mining Town", Media Release, July 8, 2001.
• Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania, "Mayor Darryl Gerrity A Disgrace To The West Coast ", Media Release, June 10, 2010.
• Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania, "Taskforce Condemns Secrecy on Rosebery Meeting", Media Release, May 20, 2010.
• Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania, “Toxics Group Rejects Toxicology Reports on Poisoned Rosebery Residents”, Media Release, April 15, 2010.
• Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania,"Toxics Group calls for sacking of Director of Health - Poisons Investigation Flawed Again", Media Conference 10am Parliament House Lawns, March 17, 2010.
• Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania,"Group Proposes Terms of Reference for the 'First' Tasmanian Integrity Commission Inquiry into the Health Department and EPA Investigations in Rosebery", Embargoed Media Release, February 19, 2010.
• Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania,"MMG and GHD Must Release Results from 2007/2008 Investigations Into Health Risks Of Lead In Rosebery and Use Correct Dust Sampling Methods", Embargoed Media Release, February 18, 2010.
• Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania,"Group Calls For Minister Giddings To Stand Down Dr Roscoe Taylor And Dr Chrissie Pickin", Media Release, February 16, 2010.
• Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania,"Taskforce Calls On Mine Manager To Release 'Scope' Of New Investigation", Media Release, February 10, 2010.
• Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania,"Mayor Gerrity Slammed By Toxics Group", Media Release, February 5, 2010.
• Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania,"Health and Environmental Investigations into Toxic Heavy Metals in Rosebery", Media Release, January 19, 2010.
• Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania, "West Coast Council Condemned By Toxics Group. Rosebery Home Buyers Kept In The Dark Over Poisons", Embargoed Media Release, January 15, 2010.
• Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania,"Group Releases Test Results On Poisoned Pets", Media Conference Parliament House Lawns, January 13, 2010.
• Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania, "Call For Independent Medical Specialists To Head Up The New Rosebery Health Investigation", Media Release, January 8, 2010.
• Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania, "Dr Roscoe Taylor has no Evidence", Media Release, November 23, 2009.
• Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania, "EPA Notice to Rosebery Mine: the toxic heavy metals that dare not be monitored!", Media Release, November 18, 2009.
• Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania, "Taskforce Warns Rosebery Residents", Media Release, November 10, 2009.
• Poisoned Rosebery residents group, "Protesters call for Dr Roscoe Taylor to withdraw report", Media Release, July 6, 2009.
• Poisoned Rosebery residents group, "Poisoned Rosebery residents group Toxic Rally Poster", Toxic Rally Poster, July 5, 2009.
• Poisoned Rosebery residents group, "Toxics Rally - Relocate Poisoned Rosebery Residents", Media Alert, July 2, 2009.

Reports

Reports for THMTT are listed below:

• Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania, “Critique Of Toxicology Reports From Professor Frank Daly And Professor George Braitberg”, Critique, April 15, 2010.
• Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania, "Proposals For Action On Heavy Metal Contamination And Health Risks In Rosebery", Submission to Rosebery Technical Advisory Group Meeting Hobart, March 17, 2010.
• Isla McGregor-Toxic Heavy Metall Taskforce Tasmania, “The Need for Expert Clinical Assessments in Diagnosis Of Heavy Metal Poisoning", The Lead Group Inc. Fact Sheet Index, February, 2010
• Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania and an Independent Environmental Scientist, "CRITIQUE of the ‘Investigation into Concerns Regarding Seepage Water in a Rosebery locality - Final Report from the Project Team’ (DHHS, EPA 2009).", Critique, January, 2010.
• Toxic Heavy Metal Taskforce Tasmania, "Health Risks and Heavy Metals. Your Right to know.", Pamphlet, November 2, 2009.
• Dr Roscoe Taylor DHHS, "TAS DHHS Dr Roscoe Taylor's response to Rosebery residents' request to quash Seepage Water Report", Letter, September 23, 2009.
• Rosebery residents, "REQUEST TO QUASH THE FINDINGS OF THE FINAL REPORT", Request to Dr Roscoe Taylor, July 6, 2009.
• Public and Environmental Health Service and Environment Protection Authority, "Investigation into Concerns Regarding Seepage Water in a Rosebery locality 2008/2009 Executive Summary of Final Report", Report, April 2, 2009.
• Toxic Heavy Metal Taskforce Tasmania, "Rosebery heavy metals Table 2008", Biological and environmental results, 2008.

Articles and resources

Related SourceWatch articles

• Air pollution in Tasmania
• Food quality in Tasmania
• Landfill pollution in Tasmania
• Marine pollution in Tasmania
• Public & environmental health issues in Tasmania
• Water pollution in Tasmania

External resources

• Toxic Heavy Metals Taskforce Tasmania campaigns for publicly accessible information about health risks associated with toxic heavy metals as well as transparency with information relating to sites contaminated by heavy metals; and the need for Tasmanian Contaminated Sites Register to be improved and freely available.
• The LEAD Group Inc. campaigns for the removal of lead from petrol and other products and conducts an advice,& information and counselling service about lead.

External articles

• Michelle Paine, "Demands over tainted water", The Mercury, July 24, 2010.
• Anne Roberts, Isla MacGregor, " Heavy Metal Poisoning in an Australian Lead Mining Town – the View from the Trenches", LEAD Action News vol 10 no 4 ISSN 1324-6011, June, 2010.
• Helen Kemton, "Rosebery Report Anger",The Mercury on Saturday, April 17, 2010.
• Chris Pippos, "Group rejects class action dealt blow", The Advocate, April 17, 2010.
• L. Shannon, "Rosebery Health", ABC Stateline, October 17, 2008.
• A. R. Ezzy, "The effects of waste disposal on groundwater quality in Tasmania: Overview Report", Tasmanian Geological Survey Record, 2002.
• R. Grant, "Mine's toxic legacy on Tasmanian farm", ABC Online, August 10, 2009.
• E. Harris, "Is Rosebery a health hazard?", Crikey, July 10, 2009.
• M. Ewall, "Primer on Landfill Gas as Green Energy", Energy Justice Network, November 2007.
• R. Bentley, T. G. Chasteen, "Microbial Methylation of Metalloids: Arsenic, Antimony, and Bismuth", Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, June 2002.
• K. Aiken, "'Safe' blood lead levels, unsafe for children: research", ABC Local Radio, Radio National, PM with Mark Colvin, September 21, 2009.
• Nick Clark, "Tassie's toxic time bomb", The Mercury, December 06, 2009. Short article about massive mercury contamination at the Burnie's paper mill site.

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