Tory Shepherd: Government bottled it with advice on lead in water

Our leaders had a chance to clearly explain a report that advised us to run taps before drinking water. Instead they buried it, and created unnecessary fear and panic, writes Tory Shepherd.

Leadership, anyone?

More like lead-derrr-ship.

About five months ago the nation’s health departments got together and issued a statement saying lead was getting into drinking water from some plumbing products.

The advice included telling Australians to run their taps for 30 seconds before using the water. This, in a country that not so long ago was telling people to time their showers.

They should avoid drinking anything from hot water systems.

Lead isn’t in the pipes, but it is in brass fittings.

Australians know to fear lead.

In this time of DIY obsessions, people know about the dangers of lead paint.

Lead poisoning is devastating. You don’t even want to read about the symptoms.

Here in South Australia, we’re acutely aware of lead thanks to the scandal that has been unfolding in Port Pirie for years.

Today new figures showed the average amount of lead in children’s blood continues to rise, with 12 now at “high risk” of health effects, thanks to the smelter.

High levels of lead in children’s blood have been recorded in Port Pirie. Picture: News Corp

But there’s no evidence anyone here has been affected by lead in drinking water, let alone been poisoned.

What everyone who knows what they’re talking about says is: “Don’t panic, but reduce your exposure if you can. Take care of small children, flush if you use tap water in baby formula, and let’s get those in power to do something about it.”

Five months ago, when the statement came out, the Federal Government should have shown leadership.

They didn’t need to be lighthearted or heavy-handed about it, but instead steer a worried public through the murky waters.

They didn’t, so now we have people worried about running their taps when the drought is starting to bite.

It’s a fair punt the market will respond eagerly with water filters, bottled water.

More overpriced H2O spruiking its organic, pure origins. Much of which is undiluted bulls**t.

And of course, the lumpen handling of the issue has already fuelled the fluoride paranoids, who think that the water is how the Powers That Be are controlling our mind.

Surely this course could have been diverted with some authoritative direction from the top. Five months ago.

But no. The advice was left practically unmentioned until the tide went out on the weekend and News Corp revealed that the report had just been stagnating.

Advice about avoiding lead exposure by running taps for 30 seconds had been left unmentioned by government until News Corp revealed it at the weekend. Picture: iStock

So then a flow of experts had to come out this week to say that the longstanding problem should be fixed — while also hosing down concerns. First, the nation’s chief medical officer, Professor Brendan Murphy.

“We’ve got no evidence at all that anyone has become toxic from lead from drinking water,” he said.

“We know it’s a toxic chemical to humans; it’s just in this circumstance, it’s such a tiny amount that’s in drinking water that people are just saying if you want to be absolutely sure to reduce it, this (flushing taps) is sound advice.

“We still have no evidence that not doing that will be of any harm to you, but if you want to be absolutely secure and safe, that’s something you can do.”

To be clear, he also highlighted that babies are much more sensitive, so parents should flush the water if they’re using it to make up baby formula.

People who know what they’re talking about were unanimous in saying the risk was small and should be avoided if possible — but that really governments should have done something before now.

Dr Paul Harvey, an environmental scientist at Macquarie University, said lead should no longer be permitted in products for use with drinking water.

Professor Stuart Khan from the University of NSW said there was a need to ensure safe levels are not exceeded, and said such exposure was an “avoidable scenario”.

Professor Stuart Khan has said that lead exposure is avoidable. Picture: AAP/Brianne Makin

He highlighted the issues in schools, where water might stagnate over a long summer break, increasing its absorption of lead.

The Australian Science Media Centre listed the same advice from other experts.

We need to fix this, to transition to lead-free plumbing, but we also don’t need to panic about it.

The Federal Government should have taken action long before a buried report told Australians they needed to run their taps before drinking the water.

They set standards, and they — along with state governments and other bodies — are responsible for public health warnings.

If you’re worried about the lead in the water, have a cup of tea (flush the water first if you want), avoid the Bex, and think about having a lie down before freaking out.

And just for perspective, think about those folk in Port Pirie.

Where lead levels in the air keep hitting new highs, and where two-year-olds have unacceptably high levels in their blood. That childhood exposure is linked to lower IQs and other health effects.

In the future, the Federal Government and all authorities should know what happens when half the story gets out.

They should have grabbed the recommendations when they were first released, and calmly and clearly explained what it meant, and what people should do.

Then they should have taken action themselves, and turned off the tap on plumbing products with lead in them.

Before these new stories started a flood of fear.

Tory Shepherd is State Editor for the Adelaide Advertiser.

@ToryShepherd