Asbestos contamination is increasing in public locations in Sydney
Officials in Sydney, Australia, said Sunday that they had found traces of asbestos at 34 public locations across the city in recent weeks, and that a venue for an upcoming Taylor Swift concert had been declared free of the toxic mineral.
The hunt for asbestos in recycled mulch in the city began last month, and locations that have tested positive include parks and hospital grounds, train stations, supermarkets and four schools, two of which have been temporarily closed. The figures released by the Environmental Protection Agency of New South Wales included two new locations on Sunday, both schools.
The scandal has gained international attention in part because authorities tested mulch on the grounds of Sydney Olympic Park, where Ms Swift is. scheduled to perform four shows starting Friday. But the agency said Sunday that those tests were negative.
“I can say with certainty that the Harbor City is ready to welcome Taylor Swift with open arms,” CEO Tony Chappel told reporters on Sunday.
When inhaled, asbestos fibers can cause lung diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. Laws on this matter vary by country: asbestos is not banned in the United States, while the European Union banned white asbestos, the most common form, in 2005.
Australia began phasing out asbestos in the 1980s and banned it completely in 2003. But the substance had been used in construction, automotive and other applications for decades. Many homes built there before the 1990s still contain asbestos.
Authorities in New South Wales, the state that includes Sydney, have said asbestos recently found in recycled mulch poses a relatively small risk if left undisturbed. Most of it is bound or non-friable, meaning it is mixed with another substance such as concrete and does not easily crumble or turn into dust. This makes it less dangerous than friable asbestos, which can easily be crumbled and inhaled.
The asbestos was first discovered in Sydney in early January after a child brought home some mulch from the Rozelle Parklands, a new 25-hectare park. The child's parents noticed what appeared to be asbestos in the mulch and sent it for testing, which yielded a positive result, Darcy Byrne, the mayor of the local district, said at the time.
Authorities closed the park and began testing other green spaces nearby. Their discovery of more locations with the contaminated mulch prompted them to expand the investigation across the city.
“This is completely unacceptable,” New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said last week, adding that the investigation involved more than 100 state EPA officials.
The agency said it has ordered the Australian company that produces the mulch, Greenlife Resource Recovery, to stop supplying it until the investigation is completed.
Greenlife Resource Recovery has denied the debt. It said in one rack that tests had shown the mulch to be asbestos-free, indicating that the third parties purchasing the mulch may have mixed it with other materials, or that asbestos may already have been present in some locations where contamination was found. It has taken legal action to challenge the agency's order to stop selling mulch.
The company “was at risk of being scapegoated due to failures in a complex supply chain for construction and landscaping projects,” the statement said. said. The company did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Sunday.
The state EPA says companies or individuals who allow asbestos waste to be recycled could face fines of up to two million Australian dollars, or $1.3 million. Mr Minns, the state's premier, has said his government will consider increasing penalties.