A childcare centre will shut for up to six months after the discovery of lead in soil below kindergarten areas.
Goodstart was advised in October that its centre at Flemington, in Melbourne’s northwest, tested positive for heavy metals including lead about 10cm under the soil in the kindergarten space.
The two impacted areas were under a chicken coop and garden bed alongside a fence.
The centre was closed for two days for maintenance but the not-for-profit provider said it knew more extensive work would be required.
“We are now ready to begin the work and have given families four weeks’ notice that this will commence in May and the centre will need to close temporarily,” Goodstart said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The work could take up to six months.”
Children and staff are expected to be able to move to neighbouring centres while the Flemington site is shut.
The soil testing was completed in preparation for planned upgrades of the outdoor learning areas.
“While the risk of contamination is low for any child or Goodstart team member, safety is always our highest priority,” the company said.
Children are most often exposed to lead by swallowing items or soil containing lead or breathing in dust containing lead, the Victorian health department says.
Young children, including unborn babies, are at greatest risk of the health effects of lead exposure.
“There is no level of exposure to lead that is known to be without harmful effects,” a World Health Organization fact sheet states.
Exposure to very high levels of lead can severely damage a child’s brain and central nervous system, causing coma, convulsions and even death.
At lower levels of exposure, there may be no obvious symptoms but it can still lead to a spectrum of injury across multiple body systems.
“In particular, lead can permanently affect children’s brain development, resulting in reduced intelligence quotient (IQ), behavioural changes including reduced attention span and increased antisocial behaviour, and reduced educational attainment,” the WHO alert reads.
AAP has contacted the state’s environment protection authority for comment.
https://thewest.com.au/news/environment/lead-scare-to-temporarily-close-city-childcare-centre-c-18396270
