Mulch contaminated with asbestos found in Sydney park

ABC NEWS (Australia)

More mulch contaminated with asbestos has been found in three parks in Sydney’s CBD. A primary school in the city's southwest was shut down yesterday and remains closed while authorities remove contaminated mulch from its grounds.

Transcript

00:00 After conducting supply chain investigations, the NSW Environment Authority advised the

00:06 City of Sydney that it could have asbestos contaminated mulch at several of its parks.

00:12 The Council then tested mulch at several parks across the city and found that Harmony Park

00:17 here in Surrey Hills, Belmore Park and Victoria Park were all found to have asbestos contaminated

00:23 mulch.

00:24 The site of particular concern is here at Harmony Park in Surrey Hills as friable asbestos

00:30 was detected in the mulch here.

00:33 Friable asbestos is of higher risk as it's found in airborne particles compared to bonded

00:38 asbestos which we've seen at other locations throughout this whole asbestos saga.

00:44 All sites have been fenced off and temporarily closed while authorities remove the contaminated

00:48 mulch.

00:49 Meanwhile, at Liverpool West Public School, the campus remains closed after mulch was

00:53 found in a garden bed in a playground.

00:56 Students will learn from home until that mulch is removed and campus is safe to return to.

01:01 Now more than a dozen sites, including Campbelltown Hospital, have now been linked to mulch supplied

01:06 by one company, although that company says its mulch has been asbestos free upon delivery

01:12 to those sites.

01:14 The State's Environment Watchdog is conducting investigations and they will have to be completed

01:18 before any charges are laid.

01:21 New South Wales Premier Chris Mins says that is a possibility.

01:25 Clearly this is completely unacceptable and the government is currently investigating

01:30 certain actions that we will take in the weeks ahead.

01:33 Firstly, to raise the fines that are imposed on companies that do the wrong thing.

01:38 The Cabinet will be looking at that in the next couple of weeks.

01:42 Secondly, to enforce the orders that have been issued by the EPA against the company

01:47 involved.

01:48 I understand they're being challenged in the court.

01:50 I want to make it clear the EPA will be defending their orders made against that company in

01:58 the New South Wales Court.

02:00 And lastly, taking action, particularly in relation to the site in Sydney CBD.

02:04 As the list of contaminated sites continues to grow, the City of Sydney says testing will

02:09 continue at several sites across the city.

02:12 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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