Liverpool council office to reopen following possible cancer cluster after five Sydney workers diagnosed

A portion of a southwest Sydney council office will reopen following an investigation into a potential cancer cluster where five women who worked in the same building developed thyroid cancer.

A portion of a southwest Sydney council office will reopen following an investigation into a potential cancer cluster where five women who worked in the same building developed thyroid cancer.

Liverpool City Council tabled a report at Tuesday’s extraordinary meeting which found no levels of ionising radiation above background levels were detected in the building after $76,000 was spent on “testing and legal support”.

This comes after five staff members who worked on levels five and six at council’s Moore St office – where the University of Wollongong also occupies four floors – developed cancer in the last three to five years.

Four of the five workers have taken part in an urgent investigation by the NSW Department of Health, while a sixth worker who has reported a thyroid condition opted out.

Liverpool council's Moore St building.

Level six has been shut down since June and workers were relocated to level four while the investigation took place.

Acting CEO Joshua Breton said it was important for the floor to reopen “not only from a Liverpool perspective but from a commercial perspective.”

“We’ve also got other tenants there (in the Moore St building), so we’re very keen to get that good news out very quickly,” he said.

In the report, council engaged three organisations – The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) for ionising radiation testing, Tetra Tech Coffey for occupational hygiene testing and Dr Phillip Knipe with Total Radiation Solutions for radiofrequency electromagnetic energy radiation testing – to determine if there were further hazards on the site.

“At the time of preparing this report, interim findings from ANSTO have indicated that there are no levels of ionising radiation above backyard levels detected,” the report states.

Liverpool council's Moore St building.

“The occupational hygiene testing results from Tetra Tech Coffey indicated that the building is fit for occupancy.”

The reporter further stated Dr Knipe’s report for non ionising radiation indicates levels were below the general regulatory exposure limits specified by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA).

“Based on the above information, level six of the Moore Street building will be cleared for

reoccupation,” the report stated.

The motion was passed unanimously. Councillors Charishma Kaliyanda, Karress Rhodes and Ali Karnib were absent from the meeting.

Deputy mayor Fiona Macnaught thanked council staff for their work in what was “obviously a very sensitive issue”.

“Thank you for the calm way that this has been done … and for walking anxious staff and other stakeholders through the process as well,” she said.

Following the report, council said a “town hall” style meeting will be held to provide staff the opportunity to ask questions of the experts and the testing companies, to close out the matter and reopen level six of the Moore St building.

More to come.