Consumer Products and Lead Exposures:

Vision for a Lead-Safe WorldIncorporating the presentation given by Michelle Calvert at

“Eliminating Childhood Lead Toxicity in Australia – A Little is Still Too Much” Forum at Macquarie University on 5th June 2012. Presentation by Elizabeth O’Brien, President, The LEAD Group,

Vision for a Lead-Safe World

Lead levels and cause of death“A study published in the American Heart Association Journal “Circulation” tracked 13,946 adults for 12 years, comparing lead levels and cause of death. It found that those with a level between 3.6 µg/dL and 10 µg/dL were two and a half times more likely to die of a heart attack than those with very low levels [under 1.9 µg/dL], 89% more likely to die of stroke, and 55% more likely to die of cardiovascular disease.”

Lead levels and cause of death

Standards for lead in consumer products, in food and drinking water and ‘environmental media’, will also need to be made more stringent.

All these lead sources need more stringent legislation

Lead levels permitted in all products and the action levels for lead abatement have to become more stringent.

Consumer products containing lead generally affect people of all ages

Rome’s Ruin by Lead Poison

Depiction of a Sumerian woman applying makeup

Sumerian Makeup Box

Sumerians used leaded lipstick and eye makeup

Leaded pewter consumer products old and new

Well-to-do Romans added lead to wine

Study Concludes Beethoven Died From Lead Poisoning

Lead crystal armonica

Goya: Saturn devouring one of his Children

In 1828, Goya also likely died of lead

poisoning

[Scene from the 2011 movie L'Appollonide (Souvenirs de la Maison Close), known in English as House of Tolerance, directed by France's Bertrand Bonello. [ http://eyeswiredopen.blogspot.com.au/ ]

Men and their white-skinned prostitutes in a late 19th century French brothel.

Standard Oil Refinery, ‘House of Butterflies’ in Bayway, New Jersey, 1924.

Petrol “ With Ethyl”; TEL, anti-knock compound

Poster advertising “Ethyl”: i.e. Tetra Ethyl Lead (TEL) containing

gasoline

Leaded petrol phase out saves over US$2.4 trillion

“A comprehensive study has confirmed that the phase out of leaded petrol contributes US$2.4 trillion (4% global GDP) to the global economy; this monetary saving is calculated by measuring social benefits such as heightened IQ levels and reduced criminality, as well as health savings from afflictions such as cardiovascular disease. This global effort to end the use of leaded petrol also translates to 1.2 million fewer deaths per year.” [Reference: http://www.unep.org/transport/PCFV/news/hatfield.asp ] ]

Perth Declaration for the Global Reduction of Childhood Lead Exposure

NEWS headlines! Lead laced Marijuana producing sociopaths?

Leaded turmericLeaded

kohl eye make-up

Lead as a colorant or to add weight to food

Hazardous battery recycling on the streets of New Delhi. A child disassembles a spent truck battery on the sidewalk to sell lead to unregistered recycling units. [ www.okinternational.org/ ]

A child disassembles a spent truck battery on the sidewalk

Leaded house paint – still available for purchase today by 2.5 billion earthlings

Lead in paint

Lead arsenate pesticide

Petrol / Gasoline Lead

A global ban on leaded petrol / Gasoline

Soldered Food Cans

Indian made lead containing charm toys

photo of leaded toy tortoise that one of our volunteers purchased in India

Control of lead in children’s consumer products

Leaded Bracelets

Girls dresses with leaded beads

Leaded painted Piggyback

Furniture sold with leaded paint

Leaded tea glasses

RECALLED PRODUCTS (US)

Heart-shaped charm which caused a child lead poisoning death in the US

Leaded ceramicware is still a major source of lead exposure

Bullet Disintegrating in Flight

Other consumer products and waste and recycling

Green Machine collects lead bullets from shooting ranges for recycling

The Green Machine

Leaded PVC copper cable recycling in Ghana

Each CRT contains 8 kg of lead

European legislation is leading the push for lead-free electronics and electrical appliances

Cigarettes

Warning regulations are also essential for some non-leaded products which can be used to create lead hazards

Global lead use in: 1970

Global lead use in: 1990

Lead Use in 1990's. OECD Demand by end use Category

0200400600800

10001200140016001800

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998

Miscellaneous

Gasoline Additives

Cable sheathing

Alloys

shot and ammunition

Pigments and other Compounds

Rolled and extruded products

Batteries

Today more than 80% of world lead is in batteries, and the trend is towards 100%

Global lead use in: 1990’s

Cronkshaw lead-free logo.jpg

Lead foil on wine bottle

http://www.subsport.eu/

‘Subsport’ is a database of substitutes for various chemicals, including 451 lead-based chemicals.

RMT at Wagga WAgga

ARA (soon to be renamed Enirgi Metals) at Alexandria

Renewed Metals Technology (RMT) plant at Wagga Wagga

Lead batteries are not the only use of lead in vehicles

page 10 of the Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday, August 3rd 1993

The Environmental Cost of One car

This graph shows that oil production has already peaked in non-OPEC, non-former Soviet Union countries. 

Oil production has already peaked in non-OPEC, non-former Soviet Union countries

The Environmental Cost of One Car % per life-stage of cubic metres of polluted air produced

60%

28%

5%0%

7% Extracting Raw Material922000000 m3

Transporting Raw Material425000000 m3

Producing The Car 75000000m3

Driving The Car 1000 m3

Disposing Of The Car102000000 m3

A car causes more pollution before it’s ever driven

Coffee, herbs and vegetables in pots in

home garden

Rainwater tank and clean soil

vegetable beds

Grapefruits on tree in home garden

Vegetable attacked by pests

Fruit tree with netting

Ride your bike more and don’t

buy a car

The future of road transport

The future of air travel

Passenger aircraft fuselages reused by turning them into high-speed railway cars

Solar Roadway

Partially solar-powered gondola lift in Colombia

Pear-shaped Earth

A lead-knowledgeable World - a Lead-Safe World

Watch this site: www.leadsafeworld.com

Lead-Safe World Project

The National Painting and Decorating Institute (NPDI)

The National Painting and Decorating Institute (NPDI)

is the peak educational body for the painting industry in Australia and the Pacific. It is supported by Registered Training Organisations, and has introduced lead paint abatement training to the NT, NSW, QLD and WA; and soon on-line for painters anywhere in the world.

is the first nationalceiling dust removalists’association in the world.

ADRA

Four videos showing how to use The LEAD Group’s DIY-sampling lab-test kits are available on YouTube:

1.Introduction 2.Test Kit Instruction - Part 1 3.Test Kit Instruction - Part 2 4.Test Kit Result Discussion

The LEAD Group’s DIY-sampling lab-test kits

Acknowledgements

•Thanks to the following for their information, advice and support in writing this presentation:•Anne Roberts, Zac Gethin-Damon, Hims Patel, Ardhika Wira, Chris Winder, Paul Kesby (DSEWPaC), Daniel Wurm (NPDI), Gavin Clarke (ADRA), Ian Smith and Michelle Calvert.