Saturday 27th of July 2024
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sabotage? carelessness? idiocy?.....

In January, an Australian child innocently brought home a couple of handfuls of garden mulch from near a playground in Sydney's inner west. 

Looking at the mulch, the child's parent was horrified to spot what looked like chunks of bonded asbestos.

Their call to authorities has since revealed a contamination crisis which has now spread across the city, forcing the closure of many public parks, playgrounds and several schools.

As of Monday, 33 sites in Sydney and another in the town of Nowra had tested positive for the cancer-causing substance.

In addition to parks and schools, they include supermarkets, hospitals, housing estates and train stations.

New South Wales (NSW) officials now say there could be tainted woodchips at hundreds of locations. 

 

The state's government and environmental watchdog have set up a taskforce to investigate. 

The mayor of the Inner West Council - which takes in the original exposure site at Rozelle Parklands - said the situation was "beyond belief".

"As a parent whose children have been playing there myself, I understand how concerning this will be for many thousands of local people," Darcy Byrne said.

The scare has kept thousands of school students at home and forced the cancellation of a major Mardi Gras party. There was also panic after potential exposure sites were identified - but quickly cleared - at the Sydney venue for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concert.

State officials say they are working as quickly as possible to identify and test locations of concern.

"We do understand that it is a big problem... There is no doubt that there is a failure here," NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said.

 Assessing the danger

Health authorities have warned the public to steer clear of the contaminated areas, which have been cordoned off. 

But they have also sought to downplay the potential risk they pose.

Extended exposure to asbestos - which was once widely used in construction materials - can lead to a form of cancer called mesothelioma or the chronic lung disease asbestosis. 

Most of the asbestos found so far is "bonded", often with cement, which means it is less likely to break down and be inhaled. But one piece of the more concerning friable asbestos - which can be easily crushed into a powder - was found at a public park in suburb Surry Hills.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-68302052#

 

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ASBESTOS IS HIGHLY CONTROLLED IN AUSTRALIA... TO HAVE SUCH A PROBLEM BORDERS ON TERRORISM....

dog tales.....

 

The Conversation

 / By Chiara Palmieri

 

This week, disturbing news emerged about mulch containing asbestos in parks, schools and homes across New South Wales (and possibly Canberra). So far, the discussion has focused on the risks to human health.

But the incidents have prompted me to worry about the effects on dogs. Dogs love to sniff, dig, lick and roll on the ground. That means dogs in the vicinity of the mulch may have been exposed to asbestos.

I research the environmental causes of cancer in animals. Animal exposure to asbestos is deeply worrying. Long-term exposure, even to low doses, can cause a type of cancer called mesothelioma. The disease also affects humans.

Here, I outline the risks of asbestos exposure in dogs, and what to do if you're concerned.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-21/did-your-dog-dig-in-asbestos-here-are-the-risks/103492464

 

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contamination.....

 

BY Mary Manley

 

Australian Waste Companies Producing Recycled Soil Broke Rules on Contamination - Report

 

The report claims that in one case, 16 tons of asbestos-contaminated soil produced by KLF Holdings was supplied to an apartment complex.

According to a report published on Monday, some of the “best-known waste companies” in New South Wales (NSW), Australia have broken safety rules causing potentially contaminated soil to be supplied to public yards, schools and childcare centers.

According to Guardian Australia, waste management companies including Bingo Industries, Aussie Skips Recycling, Benedict Recycling and KLF Holdings broke state regulations for testing soil made from recycled construction and demolition waste.

 

“Each year facilities in NSW produce about 700,000 tons of fill made from recovered fines. They are required under resource recovery regulations to test their products for hazardous contaminants such as lead,” the report writes, adding that if the facility passes legislated thresholds they must dispose of the product and report the results to the EPA.

However, an EPA investigation in 2013 and another in 2019 found “widespread breaches of routing sampling and testing requirements”. Some of the investigations also found that companies would retest their samples until they received a result that was compliant.

The recycled soil comes from residues found in trash skips at construction and demolition sites. Recycling facilities then process the waste and rebrand it as recycled turf underlay, budget fill, crusher dust or recycled road base, according to the London-based newspaper. The fill is also sold directly to consumers who use it for home landscaping.

The news site first published their findings on Sunday and claimed to have found asbestos in a sample of recycled soil more than a decade after the contamination was first suspected by the state’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The newspaper’s Australian office bought four products available for purchase at landscaping supply stores and had those samples tested by private labs. At least two did not comply with state regulations regarding pH levels and one was found to contain asbestos fibers, the report said. One of the products even contained a piece of glass and a metal screw.

“Based on those four products, one of them potentially poses a health risk because it contained asbestos fibers,” said Jason Scarborough, a former senior waste compliance officer at the NSW Environment Protection Authority. “Another would be unsuitable for any sort of horticultural use."

 

“Fifty per cent are not compliant with an aspect of the [recovered fines] order and another had serious visible physical contamination that wasn’t reflected in the laboratory results,” he added. “...three out of the four products I wouldn’t use.”

 

 

https://sputnikglobe.com/20240528/australian-waste-companies-producing-recycled-soil-broke-rules-on-contamination---report-1118657232.html

 

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