Sydney asbestos crisis: St Luke’s Catholic College shuts down as mulch contamination crisis worsens

Yet another school has been found to have mulch containing asbestos amid fears more then 100 public and private sites could be contaminated.

St Luke’s Catholic College in Marsden Park in north-west Sydney has been shut down for the next week after 30 cubic metres of mulch at the school tested positive to asbestos.

It comes days after Liverpool West Public School was shut down with students relocated to a nearby school for the next month.  

A ‘single pile’ of contaminated mulch was also found at Penrith Christian School in Orchard Hills, however the small amount means the school will not have to close. 

Four other schools are anxiously awaiting results while International Grammar School and Westmead Christian Grammar have both been given the all clear.

Thirty cubic metres of mulch at St Luke’s Catholic College (pictured) has been found to be tainted with asbestos. The school to be shut for the next week for  asbestos removal

NSW Department of Education Secretary, Murat Dizdar, said the amount of asbestos found at St Luke’s had also been spread throughout the school.

‘That was difficult to cordon off and contain,’ he told reporters on Sunday.

‘One school being impacted is one too many, there’s 12 so far that we’ve worked with. 

‘That’s across 3000 schools, government, non-government, Catholic in this state.’ 

A new taskforce headed by the NSW Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has found 36 sites to have the asbestos-ridden mulch across NSW since January 10.

NSW Premier Chris Minns last week described the situation was ‘completely unacceptable’. 

While a Mardi Gras event fair day was cancelled for Sunday after the carcinogenic chemical was found at Victoria Park, Taylor Swift’s Sydney concerts will go ahead after testing at Olympic Park found no contaminated mulch.

Sutherland Hospital in Sydney’s south has been identified for priority testing and has fenced off one of the at-risk areas.

All but one of the positive tests were found to contain bonded asbestos, the less dangerous form of the chemical, while Harmony Park in inner-city Surry Hills contained friable asbestos.

Liverpool West Public School (pictured) was shut down last week due to asbestos contamination. It's one of dozens of sites that have tested positive to asbestos

Liverpool West Public School (pictured) was shut down last week due to asbestos contamination. It’s one of dozens of sites that have tested positive to asbestos

St Luke's Catholic College in Marsden Park is the latest school to test positive to asbestos

St Luke’s Catholic College in Marsden Park is the latest school to test positive to asbestos

Bonded asbestos can only cause harm if disturbed and forced into the air where it can be inhaled. 

Precautionary tests for both bonded and friable asbestos were also undertaken on median strips at Olympic Park with tens-of-thousands expected to descend on the area to watch Taylor Swift’s concerts next Friday to Sunday.

‘I can say with certainty the harbour city is ready to Taylor Swift welcome with open arms and the hundreds of thousands of Swifties we expect to enjoy her sell-out performances,’ EPA chief executive, Tony Chappel said.

The investigation into the asbestos-tainted mulch is the largest in the EPA’s history with the task force now growing to over 130 people.

‘We are looking carefully across the supply chain, the Premier and our Minister have been clear that all options are on the table, to improve regulatory sessions where that is required, which will be informed by our investigation,’ Mr Chappel said.

Rozelle locals have had flashbacks to scenes from the pandemic after workers were seen inspecting a park (pictured) in Sydney's inner west  last month due to contaminated mulch

Rozelle locals have had flashbacks to scenes from the pandemic after workers were seen inspecting a park (pictured) in Sydney’s inner west  last month due to contaminated mulch

The NSW Government allege GreenLife Resource Recovery Facility as the source of the asbestos crisis.

The company’s Bringelly site, in Sydney’s south-west, had four clean-up notices issued by the EPA after multiple asbestos pollution incidents prior to it owning the site.

Greenlife general manager Domenic Vitocco, son of billionaire boss Arnold Vitocco, 59, insists his company is not to blame and said it has ‘been made a scapegoat’ by the state government.

Workers were seen removing asbestos from Liverpool West Public School last Wednesday

Workers were seen removing asbestos from Liverpool West Public School last Wednesday

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