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Xstrata welcomes Queensland Health Report (PDF)
Mount Isa, 22 May 2008
Xstrata Mount Isa Mines has welcomed the release of Queensland Health’s Get Bled for Lead report detailing the results of a blood lead screening program for children in Mount Isa.
The report will be discussed at a public forum this evening in Mount Isa. It details the findings from Queensland Health’s Get Bled for Lead awareness campaign and screening program initiated in September 2006 and carried out last year.
The program, supported by Xstrata, encouraged Mount Isa residents to have their 1 to 4 year old children’s blood tested for lead.
Chief Operating Officer Xstrata Copper North Queensland and Living with Lead Alliance Committee member, Mr Steve de Kruijff, said “Xstrata welcomes the recommendations contained in Queensland Health’s report, particularly regarding the ongoing monitoring and reporting of children’s lead levels in Mount Isa.
"As a key stakeholder in Mount Isa, we are committed to continuing to work proactively working with other Alliance members to ensure the health and well-being of our children.
"We support the report’s recommendations and will work with Queensland Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Mount Isa City Council and the Mount Isa community to continue to ensure the health and safety of everyone in our workplace and the community,” said Mr de Kruijff.
"For the last 15 years, we have provided free confidential blood-tests to community members through the Queensland Medical Laboratory.
"We are also undertaking a number of environmental initiatives including the independent Whole of Emissions Study which comprises a series of studies about pathways of lead into the community, removing historical mine sediments from the Leichhardt River, conducting the Smelter Emissions Project to improve emissions capture and treatment from our smelters and continuously improving the environmental performance of our operations.
"We have already spent over $200 million on more than 80 environmental initiatives since Xstrata’s involvement with Mount Isa Mines began in 2003,” he said.
Xstrata has a strong track record of working closely with government and community groups in Mount Isa and is a founding member of the advisory group, the Living with Lead Alliance.
Mr de Kruijff said “Xstrata will also work with fellow Living with Lead Alliance members to look at new ways to provide information to the community about minimising their exposure to lead.”
Ends
| Melanie Edgar | Sue Sara | ||
| Manager Community Relations NQ | General Manager Corporate Affairs Queensland | ||
| Telephone | +61 7 4744 2832 | Telephone | +61 7 3295 7535 |
| Mobile | +61 7 423 820 701 | Mobile | +61 7 411 206 090 |
| Email | medgar@xstratacopper.com.au | Email | suesara@xstrata.com.au |
www.xstrata.com
ABOUT XSTRATA PLC
Xstrata is a global diversified mining group, listed on the London and Swiss Stock Exchanges, with its headquarters in Zug, Switzerland. Xstrata’s businesses maintain a meaningful position in seven major international commodity markets: copper, coking coal, thermal coal, ferrochrome, nickel, vanadium and zinc, with additional exposures to platinum group metals, gold, cobalt, lead and silver, recycling facilities and a suite of global technology products, many of which are industry leaders. The Group's operations and projects span 18 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Germany, New Caledonia, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa, Spain, Tanzania, the USA and the UK. Xstrata employs approximately 56,000 people, including contractors.
ABOUT XSTRATA COPPER
Headquartered in Brisbane, Xstrata Copper is one of the commodity business units within the major global diversified mining group Xstrata plc. Its operations and projects span eight countries: Australia, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Canada, the USA, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea. Its operations are administered by five separate divisions, based close to the mining operations, namely the North Queensland, Minera Alumbrera, North Chile, Southern Peru and Canada divisions. It also has a recycling business (Xstrata Recycling) with plants in the United States and offices in Canada and Asia.
Xstrata Copper is the fourth largest global copper producer with annual attributable production capacity of over one million tonnes.
ABOUT XSTRATA ZINC
Headquartered in Madrid, Spain, Xstrata Zinc is one of the world’s largest producers of zinc and one of the commodity business units within the major global diversified mining group Xstrata plc. Xstrata’s zinc and lead operations and exploration projects are located in Australia, Canada, Germany, Peru, Spain and the United Kingdom.
Xstrata Zinc’s operations in Spain comprise the San Juan de Nieva zinc smelter and the Arnao zinc semis plant in Asturias, and the Hinojedo roasting plant in Cantabria.
In Australia, operations comprise the Mount Isa, George Fisher underground and Black Star open cut zinc lead mines, zinc lead concentrator, lead smelter and Bowen Coke Works in north Queensland; 75% of the Lady Loretta zinc lead deposit in north-west Queensland; the McArthur River open pit zinc lead mine, processing and port operations in the Northern Territory; and 50% of the Lennard Shelf underground zinc lead mine and processing operations in Western Australia.
In Canada, operations and exploration projects include the Brunswick zinc-lead mine and lead smelter in New Brunswick; 25% of the CEZ zinc smelter near Montreal; and the Perseverance zinc deposit in Quebec.
Xstrata Zinc also operates the Nordenham zinc smelter in northern Germany; the Northfleet lead refinery in the United Kingdom; and owns 33.75% of the Antamina mine in Peru.
Around half of all zinc currently consumed is used for galvanizing steel, which is an environmentally friendly method of protecting steel against corrosion. Zinc also finds application in the manufacture of die-cast alloys, brass and the production of zinc oxides and chemicals.