The ‘Stay Safe from Lingering Lead’ campaign uses videos to help alert home renovators and gardeners to be cautious and wear protective clothing when working around lead in old paint or soil.
The social media campaign is particularly targeting the Sydney Inner West, Newcastle and Wollongong council areas.
Lead in your home and workplace
Sources of lead include
- waste from mines and industrial sources in soil and water (including tailings, mine waste rock and smelter slag_
- interior and exterior paint in homes built
before 1970
- lead dust in ceiling cavities, carpets,
furniture and in other places where dust tends to accumulate, and in the soil
around the home – some of this dust may be from before the 1980s when petrol
contained high levels of lead
- lead fumes from the use of tools such as a heat
gun or soldering iron to heat up a lead surface
- lead water pipes, leadlight windows, PVC
products, lead sheeting and paints in various products
- workers in a lead industry bringing dust home on
clothes or tools which can contaminate a home and family
- hobbies involving working with lead or lead
paint which can accidently expose you or others to lead
Lead fact sheets
These fact sheets provide general guidance to people
encountering lead in their environment.
The advice in this series is based on the most recent
research available. We recommend you follow this advice to minimise the risks
of exposure to lead in the home. We cannot guarantee that it will eliminate all
risks as circumstances vary depending on the history of the house, its
condition, the area to be painted and other factors.
Leadsmart
The Broken Hill Environmental Lead Program, in partnership
with the EPA and NSW Health, has developed the Lead
Smart website to let Broken Hill residents and the NSW community
know about the local lead issue, how and where children get exposed to lead,
things carers and children can do to minimise lead exposure, and the importance
of blood lead screening for children under 5.
More information
- Lead exposure in children: information prepared by
NSW Health Department on the health risks of lead exposure focused on children.
- Lead information: the Australian Department
of the Environment website provides information relating to lead and various
topics such as renovation, your health, marine paints, pottery and recreational
activities, as well as a guide to renovating your home safe from lead risk.
- Lead in house paint: the Australian Department
of the Environment website provides information on lead in house paint
including the dangers, how to avoid lead risk and what is being done.
- The Lead Education and Abatement Design
Group:
The LEAD group provides services both nationally and internationally including
telephone advice, awareness raising, the development of a ceiling dust removal
industry in Australia, the development of a comprehensive lead library and
assisting in lead environmental policy development.
- US EPA lead information: The US EPA lead website
provides overseas information on lead issues, science and technology as well as
overseas laws and regulations.
- Lead Safe World www.leadsafeworld.com/shop
- Managing individual exposure to lead in
Australia: The
Australian Government National Health and Medical Research Council guide for
health practitioners to manage individual exposure to lead.
- Lead Alert: The six step guide to
painting your home
- DIY Safe: The NSW Health Department
website provides useful information to enable householders to sensibly and
safely manage the risks arising from lead in and around their homes.
- Lead risk at work: The
SafeWork NSW website provides information regarding exposure to lead in your
workplace.
- The National Painting and Decorating Institute have developed a
series of lead safety training videos including
- Podcast Lead Poisoning: a
silent epidemic: the ABC radio background briefing program on lead poisoning
during an increase in home renovations during the Queensland floods in
2012.
