Asbestos-contaminated mulch found at public school amid

Residents are becoming increasingly concerned as the number of public sites contaminated by asbestos continues to increase.

The state’s environmental watchdog has confirmed the number of testing sites for asbestos have been expanded after contaminated mulch was detected at a public school.

The Environment Protection Authority said a single piece of bonded asbestos was detected in garden mulch at Allambie Heights Public School in Sydney’s north.

The agency said the garden bed has been cordoned off since Friday morning and work on remediation will commence as soon as possible.

NSW Health advises bonded asbestos poses a “low risk” to the community.

Mardi Gras Fair Day has been cancelled four days out from the event after asbestos was discovered in Victoria Park. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

The detection brings the number of asbestos positive sites across the city to 32 as Sydney struggles with the deepening crisis.

On Saturday, the EPA confirmed an additional three sites have returned positive results for asbestos overnight.

The locations not publicly accessible will not be identified by the watchdog for privacy reasons.

An additional four schools that may have contaminated mulch on their grounds have been added to the list for precautionary testing overnight.

The schools located in various suburbs across the city include Domremy College, Edmondson Park Public School, St Michael’s Catholic Primary School, and Trinity Catholic Primary School.

Traces of asbestos has been found in supplied landscaping mulch that has been spread across parts of Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

It is understood the schools all received mulch from the same manufacturer linked to other confirmed asbestos contamination sites.

Investigations and testing have previously been conducted at International Grammar School, Mt Annan Christian College, North Sydney Public School, Penrith Christian School, St Luke’s Catholic College and Westmead Christian Grammar School.

No bonded or friable asbestos was detected at North Sydney Public School following testing on Friday.

Education Minister Pru Car maintained that the risk to school communities remained low.

“My plea to parents is that the safety of their children is the government’s number one priority,” she told the ABC.

All advice received by health, by the EPA is that it is not dangerous unless it is disturbed.”

The University of Sydney will be tested this weekend after it was identified as a potential site.

Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said the risk to children is low. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Simon Bullard

Testing has also commenced at Sydney Olympic Park Authority after the EPA deemed landscaping on a median strip to be of high priority, however the watchdog confirmed there is no sign of asbestos in the mulch at this stage.

The widespread testing follows the NSW Government’s creation of an Asbestos Taskforce to provide more support and resources to EPA’s existing investigations.

The EPA said almost 300 samples have been taken and the rate of positive results is about 10 per cent.

Mulch supplier Greenlife Resource Recovery Facility recycles wooden pallets into the garden product which was linked to the material which was found at multiple contaminated sites.

A spokesperson told the ABC the company was “deeply concerned about the asbestos found at multiple locations around Sydney”.

“Greenlife is confident mulch leaving our facility is free of asbestos contamination,” the statement said.

“Many of the sites the mulch is delivered to are remediated sites, meaning those sites have had asbestos buried there many decades ago.”

Multiple sites around Sydney are being investigated. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

The facility’s lawyer Ross Fox told ABC radio the EPA had visited their operations centre and inspected their remaining stockpile of mulch.

The pile returned a negative result for asbestos contamination.

The mulch found at multiple contaminated sites across Sydney was delivered between 12 to 18 months ago, and it is possible no similarly aged mulch would remain in the stockpile.

Businesses with concerns about recently received mulch are urged to contact the EPA Environment Line on 131 555 or at [e-mail].