An independent occupational hygienist has warned that asbestos poses a huge threat to the public at Rozelle’s former Callan Park Mental Hospital, despite the site being approved by NSW WorkCover.
The Sydney grounds, which are ironically owned by NSW Health, have undergone numerous measures to ensure the asbestos-ridden site is contained from the public, including air monitoring, a hazardous materials survey, and the subsequent boarding up and locking of a number of buildings.
However, the occupational hygienist (who refused to be named in the Sydney Morning Herald report) believes that these steps are not enough to adequately protect the public from asbestos, especially as open bags of asbestos tiles were found by children at a nearby public park.
He said asbestos fibres are flaking off roofs, and severely contaminated and unsafe buildings have still not been sealed off from the public.
The asbestos fibres found at the site have been tested with laboratories confirming that they are chrysotile asbestos, which is now banned in Australia.
Concern for the safe confinement and removal of the asbestos is due to its dangerous nature. Even very low amounts of exposure to asbestos can cause asbestos related conditions such as asbestos related pleural disease, a pleural effusion, peritoneal mesothelioma or pleural mesothelioma. There have been mesothelioma compensation claims in NSW as a result of persons being exposed to low amounts of asbestos. Similar asbestos compensation claims have occurred throughout Australia.
