SYDNEY, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Local authorities in the Australian state of Victoria have confirmed that asbestos was found in mulch at a park in Melbourne's west, prompting the closure of a playground since Tuesday.
In a statement released on Thursday, Hobsons Bay City Council said that two pieces of material were sent for testing after a hygienist inspected the playground area at Donald McLean Reserve in Spotswood.
Results indicated that both pieces were asbestos-containing material.
"There are two types of mulch used on the reserve, a recycled product around mature tree planting and a virgin soft mulch around the playground. The two pieces of material were found in the recycled product," said the council.
At the current stage, the council is also working with the state's Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to inspect other sites using this mulch.
Since the beginning of this year, Australians have been witnessing a widespread contamination crisis, which was first reported in Sydney, the state capital of New South Wales (NSW), before stretching to other states and territories.
In January, asbestos-tainted mulch was found in the Rozelle Parklands, a part of the newly opened Rozelle Interchange project in Sydney. As of March 20, more than 50 sites across NSW have returned a positive detection for asbestos, including schools, parks and hospitals.
The Queensland government confirmed the finding of asbestos in a compost stockpile at Ipswich in February.
Warnings were also issued in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) as the local workplace health and safety watchdog WorkSafe ACT located a small quantity of friable asbestos in Canberra. ■
