A popular children’s playground has been immediately shut down after the shock discovery of asbestos nearby. Rozelle Parklands, which was built on former railyards above the Rozelle interchange in Sydney’s inner west, was shut after traces of the dangerous substance were found in its garden mulch.
The popular new 10-hectare park, which only opened a month ago, took four years to construct. Despite ‘rigorous’ testing of the site, it was a young child who discovered the asbestos after coming into contact with it on Tuesday. Transport for NSW announced the closure on Wednesday. ‘Initial advice from an Occupational Hygienist who tested samples taken at the site yesterday found bonded asbestos in two samples,’ it said.
The authroity said asbestos found in the sample was considered ‘low risk’. Inner West Council mayor Darcy Byrne said the discovery was a ‘serious safety concern’ as the hazardous material had been found around the children’s playground. ‘Remediation experts are currently on site conducting tests of the material across the parkland to determine the extent of contamination. ‘A number of preliminary air quality tests taken at that site yesterday did not find any air borne particles outside of normal expected parameters.’
‘Thousands of local children and families have been using Rozelle Parklands in the month since it opened,’ he said. ‘As a parent whose children have been playing there myself, I understand how concerning this will be for many thousands of local people. ‘It is beyond belief that such a long-awaited community facility has been opened with asbestos-contaminated materials contained within it.’ He said the council had written to Transport for NSW demanding urgent testing of the whole site and to make it safe again.
Inner West Council are asking people to stay away from the area until further notice. Disturbingly, Mr Davies admitted the mulch had been used in other projects. ‘We’re currently going through [the sites] and working with the EPA,’ he said. ‘There must be a thorough investigation about how asbestos-contaminated material ended up within the park. ‘If it is verified that this was carried out by the contractors constructing the park, then the Government should throw the book at them.’
‘It does have certain rules around having recycled materials present within standard mulch. ‘This is a widely used product. But let’s be clear it does not contain, according to all the rules, asbestos or any other hazardous materials.’ How the deadly material ended up in garden mulch is a mystery and is being investigated. ‘The mulch that we have so far looked at is a recycled material, it’s a sustainably led product,’ Transport for NSW secretary Josh Murray said.
