Port Pirie Lead Levels 2024 Annual Report

07 March 2025

The 2024 annual report on blood lead levels of children in Port Pirie shows mixed results for reported blood lead indicators compared to the previous year.

SA Health has been reporting children’s blood lead levels since 1984 as part of an ongoing public health program targeted at monitoring and reducing children’s blood lead levels. The results published today are a snapshot of the past 10 years, which includes the full year of 2024. Lead is a recognised toxin and can negatively affect the growth and development of children.

The latest results show a concerning deterioration in results since 2023 for children aged zero to four years old. Blood lead levels for this population in 2024 are the highest recorded in the past decade. The proportion of tested children with blood lead levels equal to or above 10 micrograms per decilitre increased to 29.8% of children tested from 27.3% last year. The proportion of tested children above five micrograms per decilitre has also increased to 68.4% from 66.3% last year.

However, there has been an improvement in blood lead indicators for children tested at their second birthday, with a significant decrease in the percentage of children with blood lead levels above five micrograms per decilitre (65% from 75.6% last year), a decrease in the percentage with equal to or above 10 micrograms per decilitre (26.2% from 28.9% last year), and a decrease in the average blood lead levels for this age group.

There has been no change in the indicator for people tested during pregnancy in 2024, with an average blood lead level of 1.6 micrograms per decilitre – the same as that reported in 2023. Similarly, the number of children with blood lead levels equal to or above 20 micrograms per decilitre (18 children) is also the same as 2023.

Children who turned two years old in 2024 were born during a period of lower lead-in-air levels in some parts of the city, as reported by the Environment Protection Authority. This means these children were exposed to lower lead levels since birth in 2022, resulting in lower peak levels at this age compared to children born in previous years.

Sustained improvements in lead-in-air levels alongside effective management of lead in the community are key to keeping children’s blood lead levels as low as possible. Contributing factors to this year’s disappointing results include higher annual lead-in-air levels compared to those reported in 2023. Notably, 2024 has been the driest year in Port Pirie in the past decade, contributing to dustier conditions.

Community-wide programs are in place to focus on reducing environmental dust. The Yorke and Northern Local Health Network provides customised support to families to reduce children’s exposure to lead and Port Pire families take an active role in working to protect their children.

These mitigating activities are undertaken in partnership with the Targeted Lead Abatement Program (TLAP), the Port Pirie Regional Council and other government stakeholders which also provide exposure minimisation support and community-wide education and dust awareness programs to the Port Pirie community.

More information and the full report can be found online at the Port Pirie Blood Lead Implementation Program webpage.

Quotes attributable to SA Health’s Executive Director, Health Protection and Regulation, Dr Chris Lease

The number of children with blood lead levels above the National Health and Medical Research Council’s lead exposure investigation level of five micrograms per decilitre remains challenging, particularly the number of children equal to or above 20 micrograms per decilitre, which is especially concerning from a health perspective.

These results demonstrate the need for increased efforts to reduce dust in Port Pirie, as well as identifying and removing legacy lead in the community from historic and current smelter operations. Reducing and sustaining low dust levels is the only way to achieve a decline in children’s exposure to lead and blood lead levels over time. Sustainable efforts will be particularly important in a warming and drying climate.

The Yorke and Northern Local Health Network’s Environmental Health Centre continues to do an excellent job in supporting families to reduce their children’s exposure to lead. At the same time, the smelter has been making significant capital improvements which are expected to result in sustained reductions in lead-in-air levels once complete.

The State Government, Port Pirie Regional Council, the smelter and the community will continue to work in close partnership on the effective management of existing legacy lead in the community by preventing the creation and distribution of dust. All these elements combined are key to minimising the amount of lead in children’s bodies.