Public Health Information Bulletin - June 1998

This is a transcription of the Public Health Information Bulletin, dated June 1998. A copy in pdf format is available here.

Why is arsenic not even mentioned by DNRE in the recent Costerfield Update? Arsenic is far more toxic than antimony and it has been advanced that some of the problems usually associated with antimony poisoning may in fact be explained by arsenic.

"Some soils in Costerfield are likely to naturally contain raised levels of antimony."

Does this repeatedly qualified statement from the report below sound familiar? It should. It is the same excuse used in 2014 for the high levels of antimony in the area.

Does it reek of scientific uncertainty to you? It should... "some", "are likely", "raised"... these are all indications that something is very much less than certain... they are admissions of ignorance; otherwise why not tell us the facts? Which soils, where and by how much? Farmers are pretty good at understanding information about their soils.

Do my or my neighbours' soils contain "raised levels of antimony"?

Has the Department of Health tested them?

What information - gleaned from sixteen years of study and more into the Costerfield situation - can the Department of Health provide regarding the particular soil on particular properties that enables it to dismiss out of hand the impact of the mine and place the onus squarely on historical mining activities for the elevated readings in Costerfield water tanks? Sixteen years later...


Has the World Health Organization 2004 recommendation that, when arsenic and antimony are found in the same geology, examinations of synergistic and additive affects be conducted, been followed by the Department of Health?

It  certainly would not appear so. Who among the Costerfield community have the Department of Health contacted regarding these examinations for the purpose of taking of further samples?

Remember, the Bulletin below is from all the way back in 1998... they've had over sixteen years to prepare for and deal with this "health issue".

How much more do the people of Costerfield know, sixteen years later?

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June 1998

Public Health Information Bulletin for the residents of Costerfield

This bulletin provides information on:

• ·        the results of investigations of antimony and arsenic levels in Costerfield
• ·        possible health risks associated with exposure to these substances.
• ·        actions that are being taken.
• ·        steps that can be taken to reduce exposure to you or your family and reduce any health risk.

Background

Over the past few years a number of concerns have been raised by the community in relation to proposed mining activities in Costerfield. One of these concerns was the possibility of wind blown dust contaminating rain water tanks. Other concerns have been raised in relation to possible health effects from tailings material left behind from mining going back to the 1860s.

Gold and antimony have been mined sporadically at Costerfield since the 1860s. Antimony is a substance that can be found naturally in gold deposits in certain geographical areas. Some soils in Costerfield are likely to naturally contain raised levels of antimony.

Arsenic is a substance that is also found naturally in rock, often near gold deposits. It is commonly found in mine tailings and mullock. Tailings are crushed rock that is left after gold is extracted while mullock is the coarse rock that is left behind after the gold is dug up. Arsenic is more widely spread than antimony and is found in mine tailings and mullock spread over large areas of central Victoria.

Result of Investigations

For several months, rainwater tanks at homes in Costerfield have been tested for any signs of arsenic contamination. Over the past month, water in these tanks and some soils (and mullock) in the area have also been checked for arsenic and antimony.

Water samples

Arsenic: Most water samples have shown levels of arsenic that were well below the current drinking water guideline of 7 parts per billion. As a few water samples tested by private consultants were above this value, the Department of Human Services (DHS) performed additional sampling to check these results. All samples checked by DHS for arsenic were well below the current guideline.

Antimony: Rain water samples from household tanks detected antimony levels between 2 and 15 parts per billion. These levels are slightly above the Australian Drinking Water Guideline for antimony of 3 parts per billion. However, only some were above the comparable guideline set by the World Health Organisation and the standard set by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Soil samples

There has been some very limited recent testing of soil and mullock in Costerfield for arsenic and antimony. [Compare this with the Ministers 1998 Letter from just three months later where it is declared that "prudent" etc etc]

Arsenic: This testing found arsenic levels between 350 and 750 parts per million parts of soil.

Antimony: Levels of antimony were between 1000 and 28000 parts per million.

From tests that have been taken in the past, we know that levels of arsenic and antimony in surface soils and tailings around Costerfield may be higher in some areas.

[Can we see the results of these tests?]

Are these levels of arsenic a risk to health?

Arsenic has been shown to be associated with health effects in people who have taken high or moderate amounts and the health effects are related to the amount of arsenic that people breathe or swallow.

Based on the results that we have, DHS considers that:

• ·        the level of arsenic in water is not a risk to health
• ·        the concentrations of arsenic in soil would generally be a very low risk to adults but may be a greater risk to children if they eat or play in soil with high levels of arsenic.

 A pamphlet, Arsenic And Health: Are You Living In An Area With Mine Tailings?, is attached., This pamphlet discusses arsenic in mine tailings and ways of reducing exposure and any health risk.

Taking these steps will also reduce any health risk from arsenic in soil or dust that contain high levels of arsenic.

Are these levels of antimony a risk to health?

There is very little information on the health effects of antimony, apart from health effects of people breathing in high doses of antimony at work. Nearly all of the other information we have is from studies in animals. We have attached an information sheet that discusses what is known about exposure to antimony and health effects.

Based on studies in rats, a ‘safe level’ of antimony has been calculated. This is a level that could be taken into the body every day for long periods of time without causing health effects. Many safety factors are used to set this level. The ‘safe level’ has been used to set a guideline value for water, with even more safety factors.

Levels in water:

Levels of antimony found in rain water tanks in homes in Costerfield are only slightly above the guideline for water. DHS believes that the levels in drinking water may be a very low risk for adults, if any. However these levels may be a greater risk for children, especially if they swallow dust or soil that contains high levels of antimony.

·        Based on current information, DHS recommends that adults in Costerfield should not drink water with antimony exceeding the current Australian Drinking Water Guideline of 3 parts per billion. Young children in Costerfield should not drink water containing detectable levels of antimony.

·        However , DHS considers that the levels of antimony that have been found in drinking water are generally not a risk for cleaning teeth, washing dishes, showering, bathing, washing clothes, watering vegetables or other domestic purposes.

As levels of antimony in surface waters in creeks and dams may be much higher, it may not be suitable to use these waters for the domestic purposes that are mentioned above.

Levels in soil:

Based on the limited information available, it is considered that levels of antimony in the soil in some areas of Costerfield may be a health risk, especially for children who swallow larger amounts of soil than adults do. However, there are a number of uncertainties. There is little information on the levels of antimony (and arsenic) in soils on private properties in Costerfield. It is not known how easily antimony is absorbed by the human body and whether it causes health effects in people when swallowed in small amounts over long periods of time.

·        The attached leaflet, Antimony and Health, discusses ways of reducing exposure to antimony in soil, and therefore, reducing any health risk.

Levels in dust:

People can absorb substances from dust by breathing dust in or swallowing dust on their hands or their food. It is not known how much antimony or arsenic is in dust in Costerfield but it is likely to be related to the amounts of antimony in soil in the area. As children often put their fingers and hands in their mouths, they are likely to swallow more dust than adults do.

·        See attached leaflet on antimony for measure to reduce exposure from soil and dust.

What actions can I take to reduce the health risk?

The attached pamphlet, Arsenic And Health: Are You Living In An Area With Mine Tailings and the leaflet Antimony and Health: Public health information sheet for residents of Costerfield, discuss ways of reducing exposure to antimony and arsenic in soil and dust and reducing any health risk.

What actions are being taken by others?

The Department of Human Services (DHS), the City of Greater Bendigo Council, the Department of natural Resources and Environment (DNRE), and the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) will work with Australian Gold Development to develop a strategy for supplying water to residents in the Costerfield area who are at risk of having raised levels of antimony in their rain water supplies, from dust emissions in the area.

In the meantime (as an interim measure) Australian Gold Development has offered to provide bottled water for cooking and drinking to those Costerfield residents where testing has shown that water quality does not meet current Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. The company will also supply water to other concerned residents, close to the Costerfield area, especially those with children, until it is determined which residential properties are or could be affected.

The company has taken this action to assist in the management of any possible health effects from local drinking water. The company will notify people of this by letter.

Dust

DNRE are undertaking a comprehensive review of dust suppression measures to be implemented in any mining development to make sure that current problems are not made worse.

DNRE are also looking at any possible sources of current dust (for example tailings dumps, [link to McLennan Letter - so the locals do know what's going on, eh?] construction activities) to see if any further measures can be taken to minimise the amount of dust in the area.

Soil

DNRE is currently getting information on all soil sampling that has been undertaken in the Costerfield township area to determine the levels of antimony that are present in these soils. After this is done further sampling may be needed to estimate the exposure of residents to antimony.

[Can we see the reports?]

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But then the mine closed, didn't it?

What are we supposed to believe that this indicates about the "estimate [of] the exposure of residents to antimony"?

There are specific references to antimony in water tanks in the EPA's SEPP AQM for goodness' sake!