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August 22, 2012
Sydney, Australia - Lend Lease, a company hired to ship remediated material from Barangaroo South, has stopped work after asbestos was discovered among pieces of "fibro cement." Though the discovery of the carcinogen is startling and dampens the overall energy of the entire harbor revitalization project, authorities assure the public that the asbestos that was found is "bonded."
Many of the former facilities at Barangaroo South included docks and shipyards, common structures to find asbestos.
In a published statement, Lend Lease said that the environmental "screening measures that are in place at Barangaroo South are more stringent than is required under the Government licensing obligations" and that the company takes "all environmental laws very seriously."
According to Lend Lease, despite their stringent internal environmental regulations, checks and procedures, small amounts of dangerous asbestos made it to Port Kembla.
At the Port, under the direction of the Environmental Protection Authority, the asbestos was to be piled together and kept wet.
However, the greatest concern about the discovery of asbestos at Barangaroo South and the subsequent shipment to Port Kembla is whether any of the asbestos became airborne at any point.
If asbestos remains intact, the likelihood of exposure and adverse health affects drop considerably. Only when asbestos is broken up or disturbed in any way does it pose a danger. In that state, tiny asbestos particles become airborne, increasing the possibility of exposure.
At Port Kembla, the asbestos will be kept wet until it is safe to remove from the site. Keeping asbestos wet decreases the possibility of any asbestos dust or small particles from becoming airborne.
Though the air quality at Port Kembla will be continuously monitored, initial reports find the air free of airborne asbestos particles.
It is important to note that asbestos in any state is considered a carcinogen on the same level as cigarette smoke, and exposure to asbestos has been linked to mesothelioma cancer and lung cancer.
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