BEWARE: Premier warns of potential nightmare lurking in the city!
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An alarming revelation has raised concerns among residents, prompting the government to ramp up its efforts to identify and manage these sites.
Asbestos, a deadly health hazard, is rearing its ugly head in Sydney, with New South Wales Premier Chris Minns warning that hundreds of sites across the city could potentially be contaminated.
Premier Minns acknowledged the enormity of the task, stating that the government lacks the resources to cordon off all potential contamination sites for testing.
'The number of properties would be very large right across Sydney,' he said.
'Not every projected park or contact tracing park has tested positive to asbestos, but to lock every single park up, school, or hospital would just be beyond our resources.'
The Environment Protection Authority's (EPA) Chief Executive, Tony Chappel, added to the concern by revealing that some private homes may also be affected.
Testing is currently underway in domestic gardens.
'There are some private contexts we have identified, and we are working through those with the property owners and conducting testing,' Mr Chappel said.
He added that the asbestos does not seem to have been distributed through a retail outlet.
'It is not off the shelf; it has come through multiple layers of distribution and the on-selling or the landscape business that has picked up that product.'
'That is some of the complexity in the supply chain that we are looking at.'
The discovery of asbestos in mulch across Sydney has sparked a major investigation, with Environment Minister Penny Sharpe confirming that 200 sites across the city have been tested by the EPA, with 20 testing positive for asbestos.
The contaminated locations include parks, infrastructure project sites, rail corridors, a school, and a hospital.
Initially, all positive detections were of non-friable or bonded asbestos, which was tagged as low risk to people’s health by NSW Health.
The source of the friable asbestos—the kind of asbestos that’s easily crushed into a powder by hand—appears to be mulch at Harmony Park, an off-leash dog area in Surry Hills.
All of the contaminated mulch was reportedly supplied by Greenlife Resource Recovery Facility (GRRF).
The NSW government has set up a task force to support the EPA's investigation and manage the crisis.
'This is the largest investigation the Environment Protection Authority has undertaken in recent decades,' Ms Sharpe claimed.
'The complex, criminal investigation involves multiple lines of enquiry.'
'We should not be having asbestos in any of these products. It is illegal to do so.'
The task force will coordinate government agencies and prioritise high-risk sites to ensure all resources are available for securing and remediating sites.
The government's primary focus is tracing the complex supply chain, facilitating testing, reporting, and managing any positive results.
They are also considering a mulch recall.
Mr Chappel said that he had asked GRRF to voluntarily recall the mulch, which could help prevent further spread of the contamination.
Below are the possible detrimental effects of asbestos:
The asbestos scare has already had significant impacts, with Liverpool West Public School shutting down for two weeks after potentially contaminated mulch was discovered.
The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras also cancelled its Fair Day event due to asbestos concerns at Victoria Park in Camperdown.
In other news, a medical breakthrough that could revolutionise treatment for mesothelioma (a type of cancer which is commonly linked to asbestos exposure) has been discovered.
According to Cancer Australia, in 2022, an estimated 904 fresh instances of mesothelioma are projected to emerge in Australia. The risk of being diagnosed with mesothelioma by the age of 85 is approximately 1 in 319 people.
The drug—ADI-PEG20 (pegargiminase)—is the first of its kind for mesothelioma in 20 years and works by cutting off the tumour's food supply.
You can read more about this recent development here.
Have you, or anyone you know, been affected by asbestos? Share your experiences and thoughts on this latest development in the comments below.
Asbestos, a deadly health hazard, is rearing its ugly head in Sydney, with New South Wales Premier Chris Minns warning that hundreds of sites across the city could potentially be contaminated.
Premier Minns acknowledged the enormity of the task, stating that the government lacks the resources to cordon off all potential contamination sites for testing.
'The number of properties would be very large right across Sydney,' he said.
'Not every projected park or contact tracing park has tested positive to asbestos, but to lock every single park up, school, or hospital would just be beyond our resources.'
Several sites across Sydney are being tested for asbestos contamination. Image source: Freepik.
The Environment Protection Authority's (EPA) Chief Executive, Tony Chappel, added to the concern by revealing that some private homes may also be affected.
Testing is currently underway in domestic gardens.
'There are some private contexts we have identified, and we are working through those with the property owners and conducting testing,' Mr Chappel said.
He added that the asbestos does not seem to have been distributed through a retail outlet.
'It is not off the shelf; it has come through multiple layers of distribution and the on-selling or the landscape business that has picked up that product.'
'That is some of the complexity in the supply chain that we are looking at.'
The discovery of asbestos in mulch across Sydney has sparked a major investigation, with Environment Minister Penny Sharpe confirming that 200 sites across the city have been tested by the EPA, with 20 testing positive for asbestos.
The contaminated locations include parks, infrastructure project sites, rail corridors, a school, and a hospital.
Initially, all positive detections were of non-friable or bonded asbestos, which was tagged as low risk to people’s health by NSW Health.
The source of the friable asbestos—the kind of asbestos that’s easily crushed into a powder by hand—appears to be mulch at Harmony Park, an off-leash dog area in Surry Hills.
All of the contaminated mulch was reportedly supplied by Greenlife Resource Recovery Facility (GRRF).
The NSW government has set up a task force to support the EPA's investigation and manage the crisis.
'This is the largest investigation the Environment Protection Authority has undertaken in recent decades,' Ms Sharpe claimed.
'The complex, criminal investigation involves multiple lines of enquiry.'
'We should not be having asbestos in any of these products. It is illegal to do so.'
The task force will coordinate government agencies and prioritise high-risk sites to ensure all resources are available for securing and remediating sites.
The government's primary focus is tracing the complex supply chain, facilitating testing, reporting, and managing any positive results.
They are also considering a mulch recall.
Mr Chappel said that he had asked GRRF to voluntarily recall the mulch, which could help prevent further spread of the contamination.
Below are the possible detrimental effects of asbestos:
The asbestos scare has already had significant impacts, with Liverpool West Public School shutting down for two weeks after potentially contaminated mulch was discovered.
The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras also cancelled its Fair Day event due to asbestos concerns at Victoria Park in Camperdown.
In other news, a medical breakthrough that could revolutionise treatment for mesothelioma (a type of cancer which is commonly linked to asbestos exposure) has been discovered.
According to Cancer Australia, in 2022, an estimated 904 fresh instances of mesothelioma are projected to emerge in Australia. The risk of being diagnosed with mesothelioma by the age of 85 is approximately 1 in 319 people.
The drug—ADI-PEG20 (pegargiminase)—is the first of its kind for mesothelioma in 20 years and works by cutting off the tumour's food supply.
You can read more about this recent development here.
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. If so it scares me how many people will end up with lung disease or worst cancer
at these times. Council currently doing a lot of work along the Nepean River as well.
