BLOOD LEAD LEVELS OF SOME CHILDREN IN NEW SOUTH WALES

Abstract

The venous blood lead levels of 400 children under 16 years of age who lived in Port Kembla or in Cocklecreek, and of 202 patients in several New South Wales hospitals are reported and compared with criteria announced by the National Health and Medical Research Council, the European Economic Community, and the American Environmental Protection Agency. The results of this study do not show reason for concern. The samples from hospital patients stress the importance of domestic exposure, such as to flaking paint containing lead. The findings of this study are also compared with a Victorian and a New South Wales survey of schoolchildren.