BATHURST residents are being invited to take part in research to determine lead levels in householders’ drinking water.
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Preliminary research by Macquarie University in regional locations across the state has indicated some regions have up to 20 times the amount of lead recommended by the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines.
Researcher and PhD student Paul Harvey said older areas of Bathurst could be particularly at risk of having excessive levels of lead and other metal contamination due to old pipes with lead welding.
Mr Harvey said many regional areas have a slightly acidic water supply, and this can exacerbate the issue.
“If you have slightly acidic water and it sits in the pipes overnight, it can strip the lead from the pipes,” he said.
“So far I’ve discovered contaminated drinking water from ageing and inappropriate water infrastructure in a number of towns in New South Wales and Tasmania which showed lead, arsenic and cadmium in their water supplies.
“Given the preliminary results, we’ve seen it’s possible there might be an issue in Bathurst.”
Lead can have negative health impacts, according to Mr Harvey, in particular, to those aged under five years old.
“It’s a neurotoxin and can impact their learning stages. They could have delayed learning, IQ deficits and behavioural disorders,” Mr Harvey said. “They might be exposed when they’re younger, but they can have outward signs later in life.”
Mr Harvey declined to reveal the locations already tested, other than to say the closest one was north-west of Mudgee, and this area had up to three times the recommended level of lead.
At this location lead levels were recorded at 20-30 micrograms/litre, way up on the health guidelines of a maximum of 10 micrograms/litre.
“Initially we’ll be looking for lead, but generally when you find that you find higher concentrations of copper,” Mr Harvey said.
“We’re unsure of the extent and associated health burden of such high levels for the Australian community, but the data shows we need to reduce the risk of lead exposure through drinking water. “
If you would like your water tested during Mr Harvey’s research trip to Bathurst, contact him at paul.harvey@mq.edu.au.
