Authorities rushing to ensure community safety after asbestos discovered in beachside town

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Authorities are rushing to ensure the safety of community members in a small beachside town on the Barwon coast after asbestos fragments were discovered in the area.

Transcript

00:01Mornings are quiet here, with locals going for a surf or a walk.

00:07As summer arrives, the crowds will soon come too.

00:10But this has authorities scrambling.

00:13Asbestos cement sheeting fragments are scattered across the area

00:16between the surf club and caravan park,

00:19a section of the town some locals say was once used as a tip.

00:23Yeah, I'm a bit shocked.

00:24It's kind of concerning.

00:25Like, there's lots of kids that come here for nippers and stuff,

00:28so, you know, if it's spreading around, that's not very safe.

00:32Well, it is a bit of a worry.

00:34It's unexpected, actually, because I go along that track quite a lot.

00:38The ABC sent questions to the EPA and land managers Barwon Coast

00:42after discovering the asbestos.

00:44By the end of the day, authorities had inspected the area,

00:47collected samples, confirmed it was asbestos, and closed off this path.

00:51But even a quick look around shows there are still plenty

00:54of asbestos fragments scattered about this area.

00:57Barwon Coast say they had not previously received community reports

01:01of asbestos in this area.

01:03Asbestos expert Andrew Linton says the public doesn't need to panic.

01:08Asbestos naturally makes many Australians feel very fearful

01:12because we have a long and deadly legacy of asbestos use within this country.

01:16Any risk to any member of the community is actually going to be very low in this case

01:20for people who may have walked these paths in the past.

01:23What happens with the removal is now up to authorities,

01:26leaving locals to hope it's long gone before the holiday influx.

01:30the holiday influx.

01:31the holiday influx.

01:32the holiday influx.

01:34the holiday influx.

01:35the holiday influx.

01:36The holidayんです there whose rooms are at a bottom to 对.

01:37the holiday influx is in here.

01:38for at least a semester,

01:39the holiday influx.

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