A former Mt Isa health officer says he warned the city council more than two decades ago that local children had high lead levels.On the eve of the release of a Queensland Health report into the lead levels of children in the north west Queensland mining town, the shire's former environmental Health officer, Ted Prickett, revealed authorities knew of the dangers as far back as 1986.Mr Prickett said he believed authorities ignored his warnings because they did not want to harm the local mining industry."I think they did not want to do anything that might affect Mt Isa Mines Limited to be honest," he told Network Ten."I don't believe you can just sweep it under the carpet. I think it's wrong and this should stop."In an internal council memo in 2004 Mr Prickett wrote 15 per cent of children tested in 1992 had dangerously high levels of lead.Mr Prickett said he recommended a leaflet drop warning residents of the dangers but council bosses refused to release the information.Queensland Health will release the results of lead testing on 400 Mount Isa children at a public meeting today.The results are expected to show that at least 45 children in the north-western city have lead levels that could impair their behavioural and intellectual development.Mt Isa Mines parent company Xstrata, Mt Isa City Council and the Queensland Government have already been hit with legal action over the lead levels.The family of six-year-old Stella Hare last month lodged a claim for unspecified damages and the girl's lawyer has warned other families will lodge claims shortly. AAP