Rhodes: Locals furious at asbestos left on Cavell Ave for months

A woman who watched a family member die “an awful death” after asbestos exposure has slammed a Sydney council for taking so long to remove the material from her street.

Hazardous asbestos has reportedly been left strewn around a local bus stop in Sydney’s inner west for two months despite locals repeatedly raising their concerns.

Neighbours who walk their dogs, children on their way to school, tradies and locals who use public transport to get into the city from the Rhodes peninsula fear they have come into contact with the substance.

Mystery surrounds just how the potentially deadly material became scattered all over parts of Cavell Ave in Rhodes, with some suggesting it was either dumped there some time ago or came from a nearby site.

One piece found by Ms Dixon.

Jennifer Dixon, whose brother-in-law died from cancer after being exposed to asbestos, described it as “a tragedy waiting to happen”.

Both she and her husband have had to repeatedly remove parts of asbestos from their dog’s mouth and have attempted to clear the pathway and nearby foreshore of the material.

“You just shake your head with exasperation after you report it because my husband’s brother died of mesothelioma and it’s quite a raw nerve for him,” Ms Dixon said.

Pictures taken on Cavell Ave.

The council is now preparing to fix the pathway.

“I’m concerned about families with children at the bus stop. Bored children with idle hands will pick up anything.

“When someone close to you dies from it and you’ve seen first hand the awful death they go through you need to warn someone.

“It’s a known killer and not OK in any way, shape or form.”

Canada Bay councillor Andrew Ferguson, who also works with the Asbestos Diseases Foundation of Australia, said the council and other parts of Sydney had been plagued by illegal dumps.

“There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos,” he said.

Another piece found on Cavell Ave.

It was cleaned up on October 22 after being flagged as far back as August.

“Too much asbestos debris has been dumped over many decades including within the City of Canada Bay Council area.

“When it is identified it needs to be immediately cleaned up to safeguard public health.

“Delays only lead to ongoing public exposure and risk for local residents.”

The council said in a response that it was now arranging to repair the footpath.

“Investigations indicate that asbestos has appeared on the surface of the footpath after works from a third party on the site and on another occasion following strong rains disturbing the surface of the footpath,” a spokesman said.

“Following a recent report from a resident, Council arranged for an inspection and cleaning of the footpath and subsequently scheduled the construction of a footpath to be completed in the next two to three weeks.”