In December 2009, MMG Rosebery committed to undertaking a comprehensive bio-monitoring program of its workforce to screen for occupational exposures to four key metals – lead, cadmium, arsenic and thallium. At the time, MMG also indicated that the testing program would be offered to any family members of employees and contractors living in Rosebery so that MMG could have comfort there were no potential ‘take home’ contamination issues.
This week, MMG commenced providing feedback on this program to its workforce and to family members who participated in the program.
“Our workforce and their family members, by the nature of where they work and what they do, are the group in the community most likely to be potentially exposed to heavy metals,” said MMG Rosebery General Manager Mr John Lamb.
“These are very pleasing results as they indicate that, by and large, both our workers and their families are below the occupational and community government standard levels for the metals tested. Of particular note are the lead-in-blood results for the 14 children under 15 years of age whose results all came back under 5 micrograms per decilitre.”
While some caution needs to be taken in extending the findings of this small community sample to the wider Rosebery community, MMG believes that Rosebery residents can take some comfort that the group most susceptible to exposure have overwhelmingly returned results under the relevant action levels.
“This was an extremely comprehensive testing program conducted by an independent occupational physician and associated pathology laboratory,” said Mr Lamb.
In total, 418 individual tests were conducted. 375 of these were MMG Rosebery employees or contractors and 43 were family members.
In the meantime, MMG continues to carry out analysis on the environmental samples taken earlier this year and feeding this information back to the individual residents who participated in the program.
Media enquiries:
Sally Cox
Communications Manager
T 61 3 9288 0850 / 61 417 144 524
E sally.cox@mmgroupltd.com
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