Xstrata Copper North Queensland.pdf - Mount Isa Mines

Environmental performance
Case study
Mount Isa homeowners
support Lead Pathways Study
Xstrata takes the health and safety of the Mount Isa community
very seriously and understands the unique situation of mining
and smelting operations situated close to town amid an area of
naturally-occurring lead mineralisation.
In late 2006 Xstrata Mount Isa Mines
commissioned the Lead Pathways Study to
better understand the potential pathways of
lead in the Mount Isa community.
The Lead Pathways Study is an independent
research program being undertaken by the
University of Queensland’s Centre for Mined
Land Rehabilitation in collaboration with the
National Research Centre for Environmental
Toxicology. The study has three phases of
assessing potential pathways of natural and
industrial sources of lead in the Mount Isa
community through land, air and water.
In October 2010, the Lead Pathways Study
team invited homeowners in Mount Isa to
participate in the Phase Two (Air) house
dust sampling program. Local homeowners
showed full support for the house dust
sampling program with the project team
receiving over 100 requests to participate.
The project team identified the required 44
properties in line with the Property Selection
protocol, to ensure a broad variety of houses
were sampled, and to ensure a geographic
representation of houses from across
Mount Isa.
Chief Operating Officer, Xstrata Copper
North Queensland, Steve de Kruijff said it
was great to see the Mount Isa community
support this landmark study.
“Our aim is to ensure this independent
study delivers a comprehensive analysis of
potential pathways of lead into the Mount Isa
community,” Mr de Kruijff said.
“The collected dust samples from each house
will be assessed for lead levels and potential
human health impacts in various parts of
the house.
“An analysis of these dust samples will also
be used to compare lead samples taken at
various sites across our operations, as well
as naturally occurring lead sources across the
community,” he said.
In July 2009 the Lead Pathways Study
released its Phase One (Land) report; finding
that the risk to human health from historical
mine sediment is low.
Despite this finding, Xstrata has invested
around $2.7 million to remove over
160,000 tonnes of soil containing historical
mine sediment from the Leichhardt
River. Xstrata is committed to the Lead
Pathways Study and will continue to act on
its recommendations.
Xstrata Mount Isa Mines anticipates that the
Phase Two (Air) report will be delivered in late
2011, and the Phase Three (Water) report will
be delivered in mid-2011.
Associate Professor Barry Noller collects a
house dust sample for analysis from Member
for Mount Isa – Betty Kiernan’s residence
Sustainability Report 2010 93