Xstrata committed to health at Mount Isa

Xstrata’s Mount Isa Mines Friday stated its commitment to the health of the...

  Xstrata’s Mount Isa Mines Friday stated its commitment to the health of the residents of Mount Isa, including its employees and their families.Chief Operating Officer Xstrata Copper North Queensland, Steve de Kruijff, said the company takes the issue of lead management in the community very seriously.“We are working closely with key community stakeholders, especially the Mount Isa City Council and the Queensland State Government, to manage lead levels in Mount Isa.“Naturally we are very concerned to hear about individual cases of high lead levels in local children, however it is not appropriate for us to comment on specific cases which are being managed through Queensland Health.“We are also not aware of any legal action pertaining to individuals who have elevated blood lead levels. “It is important for us to obtain the full results and analysis of the Queensland Health testing program of 400 children aged 1-4 years which concluded last December. Queensland Health expects this report to be released within the next six weeks.“The full report will identify the priorities Queensland Health, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mount Isa City Council, Xstrata Mount Isa Mines and other community stakeholders need to act on in order to sustainably manage lead levels in Mount Isa.“The reality is that lead is literally part of the foundations of our community and we all have a responsibility to ensure we manage our exposure to this naturally occurring mineral in our homes, gardens, workplaces and environment.“Xstrata is committed to environmental management and improving its environmental performance in Mount Isa. We have comprehensive community monitoring through 15 monitoring stations operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.“We’ve already substantially improved our environmental performance including reducing emissions from our Mount Isa operations since 2000. We are also conducting more detailed studies into air, land and water emissions through the University of Queensland’s Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation (CMLR), by world renowned toxicologist Associate Professor, Barry Noller.“The recent results reported by Xstrata’s Mount Isa Mines in the National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) database are only estimations of emissions generated on site, and they do not relate to exposure in the community.“Information about our environmental performance is provided to our employees and the Mount Isa community regularly through our publications and community briefings.“We have also recently formed the Living with Lead Alliance to promote living with lead in Mount Isa and to ensure community health is maintained. The members of the Alliance include me, the State MP for Mount Isa, Betty Kiernan, Mayor of Mount Isa City Council, Cr. John Malony, and representatives from Queensland Health and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).“We’re doing this because our number one priority is to make sure our operations are environmentally sustainable and that Mount Isa continues to be a safe place to live,” he said.