Asbestos-laced compost discovered in Qld

A construction site at a Brisbane school and a dog park south of the city are the first public spaces to be cordoned off due to the potential presence of asbestos-tainted soil sourced from troubled waste company NuGrow.

A construction site at a top Queensland private school has been cordoned off due to the potential presence of asbestos-tainted soil sourced from troubled waste company NuGrow.

St Aidan’s Anglican Girls School, along with a dog park in Greenbank, are the only public sites impacted by the growing contaminated compost concerns so far.

Queensland’s environmental authority on Tuesday revealed a small amount of asbestos had been detected in a compost stockpile at the Ipswich site of NuGrow, one of the state’s largest disposal and recycling companies.

A spokeswoman for the Corinda-based school confirmed Workplace Health and Safety Queensland authorities had advised them soil used for landscaping at its under-construction Sport Performance Centre had come from NuGrow.

A small amount of asbestos — two strands measuring no more than 3mm — was found in a sample from a large soil stockpile at NuGrow’s Ipswich site in recent days.

Asbestos contamination in Harmony Park, Surry Hills. Photo: Zara Powell / Daily Telegraph

Department of Environment and Science executive director of compliance Brad Wirth said authorities were taking a “very precautionary approach” in light of the contaminated mulch crisis gripping New South Wales.

“So we feel given the issues in New South Wales and interstate it’s important that we’re very open and transparent in what we’re finding and passing that information on to community,” he said.

Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding confirmed the council’s compost supplier was not NuGrow. The company that does supply the council does not get its material from NuGrow.

Queensland’s environment authority is assuring the community the risk of harm remains very low as it moves to increase air quality testing in the Swanbank area and undertake targeted testing of other compost suppliers and waste facilities outside the southeast.

As a precautionary measure 16 businesses supplied potentially tainted soil from NuGrow since the start of February had been directed to halt all movement of the material, with testing to get underway.

St Aidan's Anglican Girls' School was delivered mulch which maybe contaminated with Asbestos. Picture: David Clark

The spokeswoman for St Aidan’s Anglican Girls School said authorities had assured them the risk was “very low” or “negligible”.

The school’s sporting fields, where the performance centre is being built, is 1.5km from the main campus.

“The safety of our students, staff and all members of our school community is our highest priority. Despite this site not being accessed by our staff or students, we have notified our community of this matter,” the spokeswoman said.

“In addition to the testing, the building contractor immediately cordoned off the potentially affected area which is not accessed by students or staff members.

“(We) will provide an update to our community once the test results from the mulch are available.”

NuGrow’s Ipswich site is the only location to test positive for the potentially deadly fibre so far amid a joint operation by the Department of Environment and Workplace Health and Safety Queensland sparked by the asbestos mulch crisis gripping New South Wales.

A total of 23 landfill operators, composters and mulch suppliers have been tested in southeast Queensland so far — with the second half of test results still outstanding.

“The agencies, the Environment Department, the Public Health Unit, all of those agencies are contacting those businesses to identify where the mulch could be and to organise for it to be tested,” Premier Steven Miles said.

“We’ll make that list public, just as soon as we can.

“We’re also setting up a hotline so that anyone who is concerned that they might have been exposed to the mulch can call and get advice directly from experts.”

In a statement, NuGrow confirmed authorities had collected four samples from its Ipswich side as part of a broader operation targeting landfill operators, transfer stations, landscape suppliers, composters and mulch suppliers.

Testing detected “two fibres of bonded asbestos in one sample take from a soil stockpile” according to NuGrow.

“No respirable (airborne particles) asbestos was found in all samples and all other samples taken from the site were clear of asbestos,” the company stated.

“The level of asbestos concentration found in the positive sample is extremely low, equivalent to what might be detected in a sample of sand, mulch or soil taken from any beach, garden, park or other public space.

“There is currently no evidence to suggest that people who may have come in contact with this material are at risk.”

Trucks near the NuGrow site at Swanbank. Picture: Liam Kidston

NuGrow confirmed it was working with regulators to quarantine the stockpile and cease any offsite movement of materials unless certified to be asbestos free.

“The safety of NuGrow’s staff, clients and the broader community is our utmost priority at this time, as always, and we are working closely with regulators in response to this news,” the company stated.

Queensland’s detection of contaminated compost comes amid a tainted mulch crisis gripping Sydney, with the material found across 54 sites in the city.

Parks and schools have been closed while hospitals and supermarkets have been fenced off in Sydney as a result of the widespread contamination suspected to have originated from a mulch manufacturer.

Queensland’s environment department confirmed it had undertaken targeted inspections as part of a joint operation with Workplace Health and Safety Queensland’s asbestos unit, sparked by the crisis in Sydney.

So far 23 landfill operations, transfer stations, landscape supplies, composters and mulch suppliers across southeast Queensland had been inspected.

Inspections have now been widened to select sites outside the southeast. It is waiting on results for half of the sites inspected.