00:00 It's become the biggest investigation for the Environment Protection Authority in its
00:07 history.
00:08 We're now looking at around 130 people in total with more being added this week.
00:15 And it's not just additional personnel that are being put on the case. The state government
00:20 has launched a special task force to help track down the movements of the contaminated
00:25 mulch.
00:26 The focus is increasing the task force so contact tracing can be complete so that we've
00:31 got a complete picture of where the projected or potential exposure is.
00:36 Asbestos has been found at 22 locations across Sydney and in Nowra so far. But the state
00:42 government is warning that the total number of contaminated sites could be much higher.
00:48 This is one supplier supplied to around 30 different distributors who have now distributed
00:54 further down the chain and we think it could be over 100.
00:57 Most of Victoria Park on Broadway has now been cordoned off after contaminated mulch
01:02 was found there.
01:04 Around 70,000 people were set to gather here on Sunday for Mardi Gras Fair Day. Instead
01:11 they'll have to stay away. The contamination here has forced organisers to cancel the event.
01:17 Groups that were set to have stalls at the fair say they've lost out on thousands of
01:22 dollars.
01:23 A lot of businesses have already obviously spent money to secure a stall at Fair Day.
01:28 They've spent money on getting materials and promotional items, hiring activations,
01:33 employing staff.
01:35 It's an opportunity for us to engage with community and promote programs and services
01:40 and also critical health promotion activities like cancer screening and prevention, ageing,
01:45 mental health and importantly HIV testing.
01:49 Mardi Gras organisers say they'll be looking into potential refunds for stall holders.
01:55 And late today it was revealed that some Sydney homes may also have contaminated mulch and
02:01 are now being tested.
02:02 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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