By Adam Carey
Asbestos has been discovered in a public park in Melbourne’s west for the second time in less than 18 months, prompting the local council to shut a section of the park until further notice and forcing the postponement of a popular park run.
Hobsons Bay City Council has temporarily fenced off part of Newport Lakes Reserve after asbestos was discovered there several days ago. The bushland reserve is a 33-hectare arboretum and waterside park built on the site of a former quarry and rubbish tip in Melbourne’s inner south-west.
Hobsons Bay Council has fenced off part of Newport Lakes Reserve after asbestos was found in the park for the second time in less than 18 months.
It was one of 19 public parks in suburban Melbourne in which asbestos fragments from contaminated mulch were found in March and April last year, sparking a major citywide investigation by Victoria’s environmental watchdog. Fourteen of the 19 affected parks were in the city of Hobsons Bay.
The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) said at the time that it believed most of the asbestos was a result of dumping or legacy contamination at the sites.
Hobsons Bay City Council said on Friday that it had found asbestos-containing material of low risk to health in a garden bed in the north-western lawn.
“An environmental consultant has investigated the areas requested by the EPA last Friday and has since inspected beyond that area as a precaution,” a spokesperson said.
“The product identified is non-friable asbestos, which the specialist has assessed as low risk to human health. Clean-up works are planned to be completed by mid-next week.”
The council did not answer a question on how long the asbestos had been present or whether it was investigating how it got there.
According to the council’s 2022 conservation and improvement plan for Newport Lakes, the park’s north-west plain was the largest quarry pit in the area, and was later used as a municipal landfill. Today it serves as an off-leash dog area.
The asbestos discovery and park closure was announced on social media by the organisers of the Newport Lakes park run, which had been scheduled to hold its eighth birthday event on Saturday.
The event normally attracts about 100 to 120 runners each weekend, and event director Tim Binstead said the organisers were hopeful that the run could be held next weekend, following discussions with the council.
“Our park run has been operating for eight years now and outside of COVID, this is the first time we’ve had to cancel,” Binstead said.
“But after discussions with the Hobsons Bay council, they’re working with their environmental consultants to best manage the situation and are hopeful the barriers will only be temporary and could be removed as early as next week sometime.”
Asbestos is carcinogenic when breathed in and was a commonly used building material in Australia before it was banned in 2003.
The risk of developing diseases rises with the amount of fibre breathed in from asbestos exposure. Those who experience health problems from asbestos inhalation usually have had prolonged exposure to high levels of asbestos. Symptoms of these diseases typically don’t manifest until 20 to 30 years after initial asbestos exposure.
A spokesperson for the Environment Protection Authority said it had been informed of the asbestos discovery and that the council was managing the situation.
“Council investigations show the asbestos does not appear to have been introduced to the site in a recycled product like mulch or other material, and the risk to human health is low,” a spokesman said.
The spokesman said the council is the relevant authority and EPA’s role at this stage is to support council as it identifies any asbestos fragments, manages any risk and disposes of materials appropriately.
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