The 2025 annual report on blood lead levels of children in Port Pirie shows improvements in most reported blood lead indicators compared to the previous year, while some indicators have deteriorated.
SA Health has been reporting blood lead levels since 1984 and the results published today for the full year of 2025 includes a snapshot of the last 10 years.
The 2025 report shows improvements in results for children under five years old compared to 2024. In 2025, 59.2 per cent of children tested had a blood lead level above five micrograms per decilitre, which is a 9.2 per cent point reduction compared to the previous year and the best result since 2018.
Similarly, the proportion of children with blood lead levels equal to or above 10 micrograms per decilitre has decreased by 9.5 per cent points to 20.3 per cent – the best result in the past decade. There has also been a reduction in the number of children with blood lead levels equal to or above 20 micrograms per decilitre, with 10 children in the 2025 report compared to 18 children reported in 2024.
The average blood lead level of people tested during pregnancy has also shown an improvement, with a reduction of 0.3 micrograms per decilitre to 1.3 micrograms per decilitre in 2025.
However, blood lead indicators for children tested at their second birthday have deteriorated in 2025. This is an age group considered to be a robust indicator of trends in lead exposure in Port Pirie. In 2025, 79.8 per cent of children tested at their second birthday had blood lead levels above five micrograms per decilitre, which is a 14.8 per cent point increase compared to 2024 and the highest result in the past decade.
There was also a deterioration in the percentage of children in this age group with blood lead levels equal to or above 10 micrograms per decilitre to 29.4 per cent in 2025, compared to 26.2 per cent in 2024. Average blood lead levels for this age group increased by 0.7 micrograms per decilitre to 7.2 micrograms per decilitre in the 2025 report.
Children who turned two years old in 2025 have experienced a period of lead-in-air levels higher than previous years in some parts of the city as well as record-breaking low rainfall in the region creating dry and dusty conditions that may have influenced lead exposure in the first two years of their life. Blood lead levels can remain elevated for extended periods, so children with high blood lead levels in the first 12 to 18 months may still show high lead levels in tests conducted around 24 months of age, even if there has been a reduction in recent exposure.
Lead-in-air levels reported to the Environment Protection Authority by the Nyrstar lead and multi-metal smelter have fluctuated in the past 12-months. The licence requires Nyrstar to implement an Environment Improvement Programme that contains detailed actions and timeframes to achieve a reduction in lead-in-air emissions.
Families are also doing an excellent job in reducing their lead exposure along with the other exposure minimisation support and community-wide programs in place. Sustained improvements in Lead-in-Air levels alongside effective management of lead in the community is key to keeping lead levels low.
SA Health and the Yorke and Northern Local Health Network Environmental Health Centre provide voluntary blood lead screening, various lead-exposure interventions, and customised support to young families in Port Pirie.
These mitigating activities are undertaken in partnership with the Targeted Lead Abatement Program (TLAP), the Port Pirie Regional Council and other government stakeholders who also provide exposure minimisation support, environmental improvements and community-wide education and awareness programs to the Port Pirie community.
