XSTRATA says it will be installing an air monitoring system for the mining city of Mount Isa to test for toxic metals in real-time.
According to the company, the new machine will be in addition to the five monitoring stations already in place. It will be installed in October and is expected to provide hourly air samples to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
This $300,000 machine will make Mount Isa the first city in Australia to be monitored for toxic metals 24 hours a day by a government agency.
Critics say this is a first step, but the machine can only observe and confirm suspicions. They have called for a more active effort to resolve the root of the problem, such as capping slag piles.
Xstrata is currently one of the parties being sued by residents over elevated blood lead levels in the city’s children.
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