The picturesque coastal town of Esperance, in Western Australia is highly poisoned by lead dust. It has also polluted the rainwater tanks of the town, which is the main source of drinking water. The tanks are found to be contaminated with dangerously high levels of lead or nickel in more than a third!
Though the health officials told the people living in the area not to worry, coming across dead lorikeets, wattlebirds, honeyeaters and silvereyes in their parks and back yards are alarming the locales.
With the seabed at the Esperance port – through which nickel and lead carbonate are mined inland are shipped to Asia – being tested, it is found to contain 130 times the recommended health levels of the two metals!
Even the fact that 4,000 birds had died of lead poisoning has been established. Contradictory to the prevailing scenario, the authorities still insisted there was no cause for concern.
Graham Jacobs, a GP and local politician said,
I think it is appalling. Lead is a serious heavy metal pollutant, and it has enormous implications for the vulnerable people, particularly, in our community.
It’s a bit like me saying my patient is not having a heart attack, without looking at the blood test or the ECG (electrocardiogram).