Perth Children’s Hospital: Drinking water contaminated with toxic metal while staff and patients kept in dark

The drinking water at Perth Children’s Hospital was contaminated with lead as recently as last year, yet the shock test results and remediation were kept quiet, until now. Premier Roger Cook has defended his government’s decision not to tell the public about the long-running contamination and subsequent fix-up job. He claimed there was no risk posed to PCH’s staff and patients despite a slew of drinking water samples containing more of the toxic metal than the recommended limit. It is the latest blow for the health portfolio and follows an almost three-year delay to the hospital’s opening under the previous government thanks to building troubles, which included lead leaching into the plumbing system. The first patients were finally admitted into PCH during May 2018 when Roger Cook, WA’s Health Minister at the time, declared the hospital’s water as safe to drink. But The West Australian can reveal that high levels of lead were still found to be in PCH’s drinking water in the years after the hospital opened its doors — sparking outrage from doctors and the Opposition. Eleven samples of PCH’s drinking water taken between the start of 2023 and the end of March 2024 contained more lead than the safe quantity under the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. During an investigation by The West, clinical laboratory sources expressed dismay that these results and the efforts to fix the issue were not disclosed widely to staff and patients. Child and Adolescent Health Service, which oversees the PCH water testing regime, was questioned if lead levels above guidelines had been detected since the start of 2023. “Since January 2023, 409 samples have been taken as part of the water-testing program, with 11 instances of exceedance of lead at levels higher than those recommended by the (guidelines) — these were prior to April 2024,” CAHS chief executive Valerie Buic told The West this week. “When an exceedance is identified, a robust system is in place to treat and rescreen these sample points prior to ongoing use. “In line with the (guidelines), remediation actions include flushing water fixtures and cleaning strainers and aerators, with further use of the fixtures requiring a clear result on re-testing. “While there is a well-documented history of lead issues prior to the opening of PCH, proactive mitigation and remediation has resulted in zero exceedances since early 2024.” The 11 samples over the lead limit were spread across five sites — four involved taps and one a hand basin. Two sites were in staff areas and the other three were accessible to patients. Other verified water sampling data obtained by The West shows that from PCH’s opening on 18 May 2018 to 8 August 2023 there were 35 lead exceedances. Lead consumption can “severely affect the central nervous system,” according to the National Health and Medical Research Council, with young children and babies the “most susceptible.” But WA’s chief health officer Andrew Robertson said the water at PCH “is safe to consume”. “I have confidence in the testing program and that the Child and Adolescent Health Service undertakes effective remediation efforts when needed,” Dr Robertson told The West. “I have reviewed the 11 exceedances from 2023 and 2024, and am confident no risk was posed to patients, staff or visitors at any time. The Perth Children’s Hospital has a well-established testing regime in place which is consistent with national standards.” The acceptable level of lead under the drinking water guideline was halved in June this year from 0.01 milligram per litre to 0.005 milligrams per litre. It’s believed the last batch of PCH water testing occurred in May. AMA WA President Kyle Hoath said the lead contamination in PCH’s water was a “concern.” “While we understand that remediation action was taken, and there have been no similar incidents in recent times, it would be preferable if doctors and other health professionals on the site were aware of any such occurrences,” Dr Hoath said. “Simply relying on scrutiny of internal operations by outside sources to expose problems and prompt responses is not the optimal way of dealing with the staff for whom this is their workplace, nor the patients and families using the vital services provided at PCH. “We expect that any future instances of exceedance of lead levels, or any similar work safety concerns that require remediation are communicated by PCH management to doctors on the site in the most appropriate and timely manner.” Premier Cook said there was “expectation” that if lead levels posed a risk to public health “that would be appropriately communicated.” “We have been assured by the chief health officer that at no time were staff or patients put at risk and that water at PCH is safe to consume,” he said. “Our Government implemented a rigorous program of water testing due to the historic issues at the site under the former Liberal Government.” Opposition leader Basil Zempilas called on Premier Cook to be more transparent about the lead issues. “It was Roger Cook himself who said in 2016 that elevated lead levels in the water at Perth Children’s Hospital should ‘strike fear in people’s hearts’,” Mr Zempilas said. “Those aren’t my words, those are the words of Roger Cook. “How many staff and patients have been impacted, and what remediation work has been undertaken, and how can the public have confidence that the issue has been fixed? “The public needs to know whether Health Minister Meredith Hammat, the Premier, or any of the other members in the gaggle of Health Ministers, were notified of the elevated lead levels.” A spokeswoman for Health Minister Meredith Hammat responded to questions by pointing to responses provided by Ms Buic and Mr Cook. In 2017, “disturbed residues” in the QEII Medical Centre ring main and lead leaching from the brass fittings and fixtures connected to PCH’s plumbing system were identified by the WA Building Commission as the most likely causes of lead contamination at the hospital. The revelation became a major pressure point for the former Liberal-National Government, which had picked John Holland as the managing contract for PCH’s construction — a build that blew out to $1.2 billion, partly due to the lead issues. The Water Corporation has highlighted how unusual the PCH lead contamination saga is. A spokesman for WA’s public water supplier has said have been no lead exceedances across its whole WA water supply network since formal records of testing began more than 25 years ago.