Lead soil contamination found at 10 of 13 childcare centres in Broken Hill
In Broken Hill, Australia, the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority (EPA) found elevated lead contamination in soil at 10 of 13 inspected childcare facilities. The agency released the results of tests conducted at different times between 2015 and 2025 in response to questions in parliament, ABC News Australia reports.
The national guideline for lead content in soil is 300 milligrams per kilogram. The EPA said it informed centres where readings exceeded this level and offered to carry out remediation work. However, such work was conducted at only four facilities.
Informing parents
The EPA explained that the operators of the facilities themselves were responsible for informing parents and families. An agency spokesperson said education operators usually contact families directly for confidentiality reasons.
Greens Party MP Cate Faehrmann, the party’s mining spokesperson, criticised this approach and called for an investigation into the EPA’s actions. She said that in some cases, lead levels in the soil may have been 10 times higher than the safe threshold.
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Reaction from health officials and city authorities
New South Wales Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said health authorities should also have been informed about the results. According to her, she learned about the data concerning childcare facilities from a press publication. At the same time, the EPA said it had provided updates to the Broken Hill interagency task force, which includes NSW Health.
According to NSW Health and the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network, lead exposure can cause learning difficulties, behavioural problems, slowed or abnormal growth, and impaired coordination and hearing. Children under five are particularly vulnerable because their brains are still developing and their bodies absorb lead more actively than those of adults.
Broken Hill Mayor Tom Kennedy said readings above the 300-milligram-per-kilogram guideline may be typical of almost all residential properties in the city. He called on the state government to invest in measures to prevent the spread of lead dust.
