A great site which tells the impact of lead on health.




People, animals, and fish are mainly exposed to lead by breathing and ingesting it in food, water, soil, or dust. Lead accumulates in the blood, bones, muscles, and fat. Infants and young children are especially sensitive to even low levels of lead.
organs: lead damages organs

Damages organs - Lead causes damage to the kidneys, liver, brain and nerves, and other organs. Exposure to lead may also lead to osteoporosis (brittle bone disease) and reproductive disorders.

brain: exposure to lead affects the brain Affects the brain and nerves - Excessive exposure to lead causes seizures, mental retardation, behavioral disorders, memory problems, and mood changes. Low levels of lead damage the brain and nerves in fetuses and young children, resulting in learning deficits and lowered IQ.

blue heart: lead exposure affects the heart and blood Affects the heart and blood - Lead exposure causes high blood pressure and increases heart disease, especially in men. Lead exposure may also lead to anemia, or weak blood.

cow and plant: lead damages animals and plants Affects animals and plants - Wild and domestic animals can ingest lead while grazing. They experience the same kind of effects as people who are exposed to lead. Low concentrations of lead can slow down vegetation growth near industrial facilities.

fish: lead affects fish and other animals in water Affects fish - Lead can enter water systems through runoff and from sewage and industrial waste streams. Elevated levels of lead in the water can cause reproductive damage in some aquatic life and cause blood and neurological changes in fish and other animals that live there.

ok. This is old news, but i have not posted anything for a while. Anyway, now that everyone knows about this, esperance bird deaths occurred due to excessive lead pollution.

The company which is responsible for this: Magellan Metals. Magellan, is owned by Canada-based Ivernia Inc

Now the only way the lead contamination was detected was because of bird deaths.

Now:
what would have happened if this lead contamination was not detected?
What kind of health hazzard does lead contamination pose to ordinary citizen?
Are children especially vulnerable due to lead contamination?
Lead paint toys recall is still clear in our mind, what does this massive scale contamination do to long term residents of esperance?

Too many questions.... its a good topic to continue researching tho!!

Another interesting tidbit regarding the closure of Megellan Metals is that it drove prices for lead supply. The mine`s closure has had a dramatic impact on world supplies of lead and helped drive world prices for the metal to record highs this year.

Three-month London Metal Exchange-traded lead raced to nearly US$3,500 in late July. It currently fetches US$2,940/t. At the start of the year it cost less than US$1,700/t.