As the COP27 gabfest continues it is also appropriate to consider other aspects of the environment that perhaps need greater attention. For example, claimed water pollution from the failed Linc Energy gasification plant has been a gift to renewable environmentalists.

Water and air quality have improved dramatically in most Western countries where untreated sewage and polluting coal fires are in the past, but these general pollution problems should be made a greater priority than climate change in developing countries. An estimated 1.2 million have died in China from air pollution over the last 5 years while new challenges have also developed regarding industrial waste disposal.

This is a slightly serious look at the environment and its health consequences.

A recent survey found a 40-fold increase in the lead content of eggs when compared with the 19th century. This is presumed to be a product of chickens feeding from soil in city backyards that were previously contaminated by lead from car exhaust (before lead was outlawed). It’s not a problem for out-of-town birds, or those in cages. Free range may not always be the best option!

We live in an age of increasing concern about nature. Some of it may be misplaced (think climate), perhaps under-rated (think plastics), or ignored (think population numbers). There are some hidden sources of disease and destruction which, being old-fashioned, no longer make the headlines; like lead. These forgotten poisons can still cause problems. Activism in this country has focused mainly on plastic consumption and we have started to cut back on our unnecessary use accordingly, but there are other less headline problems that may also be affecting our health.

Australia is a mining-financed country and a perennial favourite source of litigation is lead pollution. This metal has hit the headlines with a recent court case where it is the suspected cause of brain damage in a child. The Latin name for lead is Plumbum, from this comes its chemical symbol Pb and the name of those who used to work with lead pipes, plumbers. In times past, Romans added lead to wine for sweetness; the poisoning that resulted, called plumbism, was known about in the ancient world and then forgotten until the Middle Ages. The significance of lead-based paint was discovered by Australian doctors in the late 1800s.

Lead was was added to petrol to improve the performance of cars. It quickly polluted the atmosphere of cities and was a concern because it could cause brain damage to young children. Its addition to petrol was banned in many countries in the late 90s. Studies have since confirmed a relationship between blood-lead-levels and subsequent IQ development in children. Petrol sniffing was also a major problem in some Aboriginal communities which was significantly reduced by a change to Opal fuel that removed lead and other aromatic compounds.

A still older use of lead was as an additive in paint where it it served as a drying and hardening agent until it was banned here as recently as 2002. There were early concerns related to painted babies’ cots, with children predisposed to chew the painted bars when teething, and further self-poisoning accidents from imported toys containing lead-based paint. Cases can still occur in adults when removing paint or renovating old houses and old furniture without adequate ventilation.

The modern concern in Australia is about atmospheric and soil lead pollution from mining and particularly its effect on children. Mount Isa mines, with their combination of copper, zinc, and lead processing, include monitors for air, water, and soil contamination to ensure public safety. A survey blood testing of children in 2017 showed mildly raised levels in 40 per cent of children and above acceptable levels in 10 per cent. Mount Isa mines observe and fully comply with strict guidelines as set by the Queensland state government. What is (and is not) acceptable remains a question for policymakers.

With perhaps a bit of black humour, old Western Movies sometimes had the line ‘you’re gonna die of lead poison’. There have been reported cases where a retained bullet did not kill the recipient, but slowly broke down to cause death from chronic lead poisoning.

Arsenic is another toxic substance commonly used in some manufacturing processes. It has also been used to treat blood cancers and as a pre-antibiotic to treat syphilis. Its more sinister use was to dispose of unwanted relatives or rivals. A patient of mine with an unusual rash was belatedly diagnosed by finding appearances of chronic arsenic poisoning in his skin biopsy. By the time the information came through he had died and been cremated The wife didn’t seem that upset!

A recent, disturbing, but probably relevant, survey found rice absorbs much more soil arsenic than other grains; if the soil contains natural high arsenic levels rice, particularly brown rice could cause a potential health problem when consumed in large amounts – maybe not so healthy…!

There is much concern about plastics and the potential hormonal effects of the phthalates they can contain; there may be an association with the increasing infertility we see in developed countries. The accumulation of microplastics in water and the food chain may have other unknown future health risks. Being old, my formative years were plastic free, with glass, tin, paper, and wood providing the necessary containers. When my grannie died, her drawers were full of paper bags, glass jars, and rubber bands – a different style of recycling. Current estimates are that only 10 per cent of plastics are recycled.

The list of latent environmental threats is immense. As one industrial or medical process declines there is another, with a yet-to-be-determined potential, developed.

Our past has examples of this. Mercury was a cause of brain damage in hat maker; it gained a place in children’s stories such as the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. Dental fillings containing mercury later became a misplaced cause for concern, resulting in many inappropriate filling removals. We now use titanium in dental implants and joint replacements where rare problems due to its absorption have been found.

With the surge in technology and renewable energy, we are exposed to an alphabet of new background threats, such as cadmium, indium, gallium, silicon, neodymium, terbium, etc, plus radio-active contamination from their mining and processing. We also have to consider the consequences of electromagnetic radiation from modern devices. It is deeply depressing that Greens politicians, who once enthused about saving the environment, ignore the contamination from millions of non-recyclable solar panels and batteries. Their toxic components are potentially inflicting harm on the environment and citizens, but the Greens choose to concentrate on supposed Climate Change and wealth redistribution.

An attempt at counting the number of chemicals used in the developed world reached more than 82,000 with 86 per cent never tested on humans. Is it possible that current problems such as falling education levels, childhood behavioural problems, and declining fertility levels have more sinister explanations?

Ending on a more cheerful note, I offer a quote from Winston Churchill – a man who had a comment for all occasions. When at a function he upset his hostess, Lady Astor. She commented, ‘Sir, if you were my husband, I would put poison in your tea.’ He replied, ‘Madam, if I were your husband, I’d drink it.’

I am not implicating my wife, but we should be aware we may already be consuming poisons other than plastic!