Canberra: More than 70 schools in Canberra, the capital of Australia, were ordered to close on Monday due to growing concerns over possible asbestos contamination in decorative sand products.
The government of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) confirmed that 71 of the 94 public schools in Canberra and nearby suburbs would remain closed after an audit revealed widespread use of sand products in which asbestos had been detected.
This follows the partial or full closure of 24 ACT schools and preschools on Friday, with only two reopening on Monday.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) issued a recall notice on Wednesday for a type of colourful decorative sand after laboratory tests confirmed the presence of chrysotile asbestos. On Sunday, the ACCC reported that asbestos had also been detected in four additional sand products, which could pose a potential health risk.
ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio that the health risk to students and staff is small, but the closures could continue for several days. She added that education staff, building service officers, and volunteers had spent the weekend identifying and mapping the sand in schools to ensure it could be removed safely.
The ACCC further clarified that respirable asbestos has not been detected in any of the tested samples and is unlikely to be released unless the sand is mechanically crushed or pulverised, according to Xinhua news agency.
Asbestos, a group of mineral fibres, has been widely used historically and commercially, but poses serious health risks. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that more than 200,000 deaths globally each year are attributed to asbestos exposure, along with a substantial burden of ill health. All forms of asbestos are known to cause various types of cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. People involved in construction, maintenance, or demolition of buildings containing asbestos remain at risk, even decades after the material was installed.
With IANS inputs