❓ WA Treasurer responds to questions regarding lead contamination at the Perth Children's Hospital, deflecting blame to the previous Liberal/National government and outlining testing and remediation efforts. The response is highly political and accusatory.
AnsweredQoN 39Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
In regard to the Building Commissioner's report on the new Children's Hospital that highlighted two possible sources of lead contamination in the water supply: (a) will the water fire hydrants be tested for lead content; (b) what testing has been done to verify if lead has been leaching from the brass fittings in the new Children's Hospital; (c) were solid lead particles found in any water sampling undertaken on the new Children's Hospital; and (d) if so, is it possible to undertake isotopic testing on the lead to see if it matches the lead samples taken from the removed "Dead Leg" pipe in the QEII Health Campus ring main?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
20 June 2017
Responded by
Minister for Treasurer
Response time
9 days
I thank the Member for his sudden concern about the lead problem at the Perth Children’s Hospital. It must be said this concern didn’t seem apparent when the hospital was first delayed from its original opening date in 2015, nor when the former Premier guaranteed an opening in 2016. As a former engineer and Member of the Cabinet of the previous Government it would appear the Member was silent when the Liberal/National Government signed a deal where the state would pay $500,000 per month to a car park contractor to manage a car park, a job made easier by the fact that it is yet to park a single car in it. The former Premier made much of his Government “rebuilding the health system,” what they didn’t mention was that they rebuilt it with an empty hospital with lead in the water, but it’s another mess which this Government is determined to fix.
(a) Please refer this question to the Minister for Health.
However, it is noted that the Building Commission’s April 2017 Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH) audit report concludes that these fittings “… only contribute minor or negligible quantities of lead to water flowing to the PCH”. This is supported by tests taken by NMHS from the QEII ring main and attached buildings that almost exclusively showed lead levels below the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines maximum acceptable lead concentration guideline value of 0.01mg/L. The water fire hydrants within the PCH building will not be tested for lead content as the water supply to these hydrants is connected to a separate non-potable water fire system.
(b) Curtin University metallurgical analysts have undertaken testing on 8 fittings which were installed on the site and have produced 3 reports detailing their findings. The analysts have also compared these results with new brass fittings (as a cross reference) not installed on the site. The Curtin University reports stated that the brass fittings from the potable water system at PCH were found to have undergone dezincification through oxygen corrosion. The Curtin report also describes how dezincification can occur or be exacerbated by periods of low flow or stagnation.
In September 2016, a full six months prior to the state election, ChemCentre completed a report demonstrating lead leaching from brass fittings from PCH following immersion in water for varying periods. ChemCentre also completed a report in April 2017 which provided a further assessment of lead leaching from the brass fittings, including following phosphate treatment. This report confirms the use of a low concentration of phosphate in the water supply offers an economic, safe way of treating brass fittings in situ.
(b) Yes. Lead was detected in the potable water testing with both particulate and dissolved lead levels traceable in all testing to date. Particulate lead is now being detected in very low levels in the potable water system with the remaining lead levels being detected as dissolved lead.
(d) Yes; isotopic testing has been conducted by ChemCentre supported by the University of Western Australia to ascertain if there is any isotopic match between the lead identified from the water and sludge samples taken from the “Dead Leg” pipe and the lead identified in water samples taken from the internal pipework in the building at PCH. However, the results from these tests have been inconclusive to date. What is not inconclusive is that the previous Liberal/National Government had a shambolic and secretive approach to this problem.
(a) Please refer this question to the Minister for Health.
However, it is noted that the Building Commission’s April 2017 Perth Children’s Hospital (PCH) audit report concludes that these fittings “… only contribute minor or negligible quantities of lead to water flowing to the PCH”. This is supported by tests taken by NMHS from the QEII ring main and attached buildings that almost exclusively showed lead levels below the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines maximum acceptable lead concentration guideline value of 0.01mg/L. The water fire hydrants within the PCH building will not be tested for lead content as the water supply to these hydrants is connected to a separate non-potable water fire system.
(b) Curtin University metallurgical analysts have undertaken testing on 8 fittings which were installed on the site and have produced 3 reports detailing their findings. The analysts have also compared these results with new brass fittings (as a cross reference) not installed on the site. The Curtin University reports stated that the brass fittings from the potable water system at PCH were found to have undergone dezincification through oxygen corrosion. The Curtin report also describes how dezincification can occur or be exacerbated by periods of low flow or stagnation.
In September 2016, a full six months prior to the state election, ChemCentre completed a report demonstrating lead leaching from brass fittings from PCH following immersion in water for varying periods. ChemCentre also completed a report in April 2017 which provided a further assessment of lead leaching from the brass fittings, including following phosphate treatment. This report confirms the use of a low concentration of phosphate in the water supply offers an economic, safe way of treating brass fittings in situ.
(b) Yes. Lead was detected in the potable water testing with both particulate and dissolved lead levels traceable in all testing to date. Particulate lead is now being detected in very low levels in the potable water system with the remaining lead levels being detected as dissolved lead.
(d) Yes; isotopic testing has been conducted by ChemCentre supported by the University of Western Australia to ascertain if there is any isotopic match between the lead identified from the water and sludge samples taken from the “Dead Leg” pipe and the lead identified in water samples taken from the internal pipework in the building at PCH. However, the results from these tests have been inconclusive to date. What is not inconclusive is that the previous Liberal/National Government had a shambolic and secretive approach to this problem.
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