CAN WE LEARN FROM OUR LEAD LESSON? As an independent candidate at the upcoming state election and coming from a strong science background I am concerned about the scarcity of science based politicians in parliament. Politicians took nearly 80 years to finally listen to science and ban the use of lead, a potent nerve toxin, in petrol. We cant risk our grand childrens future yet again and continue to pump excessive carbon into the atmosphere nor toxic fracking chemicals into our ground/aquifers. A 2010 World Health Organisation working party noted that An economic analysis conducted in the United States found the current costs of childhood lead poisoning to be US$ 43 billion per year. A recent cost–benefit analysis undertaken in the United States found that for every US$ 1 spent to reduce lead hazards, there is a benefit of US$ 17–220. This cost–benefit ratio is better than that for vaccines, which have long been described as the single most cost-beneficial medical or public health intervention. A quote from a 2002 World Health Organisation bulletin confirms my concerns about our short sighted political thinking. Precaution is the lesson to be learnt from the history of lead in petrol. The worldwide dissemination of tetraethyl- lead is a classic example of our excessive willingness to adopt a promising but unproven new technology without heed to its possible consequences. We made the same error with chlorofluorocarbon (CFCs), and we are at risk of making it again if we adopt fuel additives containing manganese, a known neurotoxin. For our children’s future, we must do better. Waiting another 80 years to ban fracking and excessive carbon pollution will be sadly probably be too late. Michael McCluskey Independent candidate South-West Coast electorate
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 11:35:39 +0000
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