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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Natasha May Health reporter

Environment watchdog buried report on lead in children’s blood to placate mining companies, emails show

EPA Mark Taylor Cate Faehrmann Mining Environment New South Wales Broken Hill Tony Chappel
Aerial view of the distinctive Line of Lode mullock heap which splits the town of Broken Hill, NSW
According to tabled emails, at one point the scientist who produced the 2019 report was texting the EPA every two days asking when it would be published. Photograph: Stuart Walmsley/AAP

The New South Wales environment watchdog sat on a report for four years linking elevated levels of lead in children’s blood to current mining, and promised mining companies they would not do any “finger-pointing”, new documents tabled in state parliament show.

The documents include internal emails released under freedom of information laws that show the scientist who produced the report into lead exposure in Broken Hill was at one point texting the Environment Protection Authority every two days asking when it would be published.

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