WASH HANDS REGULARLY
Remember to regularly wash and dry hands, especially before preparing food and touching or playing with children. Children’s hands need to be kept as clean and dry as possible, sticky hands will pick up a lot more lead dust than dry hands, so wash and dry children’s hands before and after eating.
Children should be encouraged to eat at a table or seated in a high chair so that dropped food cannot be picked up off the floor and eaten. Place old newspapers around their chairs for quick and easy cleaning purposes.
EAT BREAKFAST
Remember to eat breakfast. A child who does not eat particularly after fasting (e.g. sleeping) can absorb considerably more lead than a child who has eaten.
HOSE DOWN HARD SURFACES
Remember to hose down hard surfaces, especially children’s play equipment. To assist with the lead issue, some exemptions to water restrictions in the Port Pirie area have been put in place by SA Water. (see below)
WATER RESTRICTIONS AND PORT PIRIE
While water restrictions apply in Port Pirie, some exemptions have been put in place to help ensure areas within your home environment are free from dust. Keeping our homes free from dust which could contain lead is important to help achieve ten by10. Specifically, residents living in Port Pirie can still hose off dust from paths, roofs, walls, children’s play equipment and pergolas on any day to minimise potential lead exposure to young children. Hosing off these area is encouraged and recommended. At the same time, conservation of our precious water resource is also important to all of us. Residents within Port Pirie also have an additional sprinkler watering time to assist with dust suppression on gardens and lawns:
- Even numbered properties can use sprinklers from 5-8am and o/or 8-11pm on Tuesdays and Saturdays
- Odd numbered properties can use sprinklers from 5-8am and o/or 8-11pm on Wednesdays and Sundays
SA Water encourages minimum water use in these circumstances. For additional information visit the SA Government web page at: sawater.com.au