Accusations of a cover-up by the New South Wales government have emerged after it was revealed that a significant report on lead dust exposure affecting children was withheld for nearly four years. The report, which details lead contamination in Broken Hill, was commissioned by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and prepared by Mark Taylor, a professor of environmental science and human health at Macquarie University.

The controversy began when Mudgee resident Jayne Bentivoglio received a tip in 2023 regarding the approval of the Bowdens silver mine, which would also produce lead and zinc near her farm. Bentivoglio discovered that the report, titled "Environmental Lead Risks at Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia: Sources, Exposures and Forward Solutions," had only recently been published in October 2023, despite being submitted to the EPA in December 2019.

"I found emails between government agencies that suppressed the document. They said that they were going to publish it at some stage, but not just yet," Bentivoglio told a news program. "It was a cover-up. This was a big cover-up by government. It's such an important scientific document; to sit on something like that is just atrocious."

The report identified current and legacy mining operations, particularly the Line of Lode, as primary sources of lead contamination in the area. It recommended measures to set trigger levels for lead in dust, which would require mines to limit emissions. Despite millions spent on blood testing and intervention programs since the 1990s, children's blood lead levels in Broken Hill remain high.

Professor Taylor emphasized the risks to children, stating, "It is from dust through ingestion. Those emissions, whether they're coming from the Line of Lode or some current operations... when the dust gets agitated and gets remobilized into the air, those depositions land on hands and they ingest it through their hand-to-mouth behavior."

The report's findings have raised concerns among local residents. Lavinia Henderson from Maari Ma Aboriginal Health Corporation noted that high blood lead levels can lead to cognitive issues and health problems in children. She highlighted the vulnerability of Indigenous residents due to poor housing conditions, stating, "It's poison and our kids are playing in poison, and you have no way to get away from that."

Ethan Pearce, a resident living near the Line of Lode, shared his family's experience with lead exposure. His children, Nova and Atlas, have both tested with elevated lead levels. "As a father sitting there with your son, getting all this blood drawn out of his finger and crying and being very upset, it is very hard, but it needs to be done," Pearce said.

Internal emails from the EPA revealed that the agency had delayed the report's publication due to various factors, including the winding up of a steering committee and concerns about how the report would be received by mining companies. One email suggested that the EPA wanted to avoid media attention when releasing the report, stating, "When we say 'release,' we mean quietly load it onto the LeadSmart website and not tell anyone."

Professor Taylor expressed disappointment over the delay, stating, "Every scientist likes their science to be out in the public domain because I did that science for the very purpose of expediting and improving outcomes for children in Broken Hill."

In response to the allegations, NSW Environment Protection Authority CEO Tony Chappel stated that the agency is committed to transparency and that no industry should dictate the terms of information release. "I think that's a mistaken view. We do need to engage with industry, and we do that deeply when we are seeking to orchestrate change and enable change," Chappel said.