Works completed

Ten for them has had a significant, positive impact on the Port Pirie community. The project has helped raise awareness about what is being done to reduce children’s blood lead levels, as well as what we can all do in our own homes and within the community itself to reduce exposure.

It’s vital that this attitude continues and that everyone remains committed and dedicated to achieving the goal of every child in Port Pirie having a blood lead level of less than ten micrograms per decilitre.

Some of the more significant milestones include:

For children:

An increasing number of nutritional programs in child care centres, kindergartens and schools have helped to raise awareness about the importance of a healthy diet, and how it can have a positive impact on reducing blood lead levels.

Additional financial support was offered to childcare facilities and kindergartens. This came in the form of free cleaning equipment, air conditioning units, new carpets and HEPA filter vacuum cleaners.

Handtowels and soaps were given to schools and childcare centres.

There has been a continual general promotion of healthy eating and hygiene amongst all young people throughout Port Pirie.

And there have been some extremely successful childcare placements for children from high risk homes.

Finally, in July 2008 the 4shore SK8, Port Pirie's first skate park, officially opened.

For the city:

Dust monitors have been installed in the city to check on contamination levels. As of today, there’s a total of 13.

A series of TV commercials over the years have promoted community participation in Ten for them (and previously for tenby10). These have included many useful personal hygiene tips.

Ten for them has also been launched on Facebook.

For the community:

There has been a continual program of Ten for them presentations throughout the community to raise awareness.

And – absolutely vital for the continued success of the Ten for them project –there has also been an emphasis on effective consultation and communication between the various parties, but especially between the community on the one hand and the smelter, the Environmental Health Centre and the Council on the other.

In September 2008, a tenby10 community ACT10N van went out on the road, and it is still out there (now carrying the Ten for them name), spreading the word.