Over 70 Australian schools closed due to possible asbestos contamination

Alsharq Tribune-Ahmed Essam 

More than 70 schools in the Australian capital of Canberra were ordered to close on Monday due to growing concerns about possible asbestos contamination from decorative sand products.

The government of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) said that 71 of 94 public schools in Canberra and surrounding suburbs would be closed on Monday after an audit found widespread use of sand products in which asbestos had been detected.

It comes after 24 ACT schools and preschools were fully or partially closed on Friday, with two reopening on Monday.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on Wednesday issued a recall notice over a type of decorative colorful sand after laboratory testing detected chrysotile asbestos.

On Sunday, the ACCC revealed that asbestos had been detected in four more sand products and said they may cause a risk to public health.

ACT's education minister Yvette Berry told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) radio that the health risk to students and staff is small but that closures could last several days.

She said that education staff, building service officers and volunteers spent the weekend identifying and mapping the sand in schools so that assessors can remove it safely.

The ACCC said on Sunday that respirable asbestos has not been detected in any of the tested samples and is considered unlikely to be released unless the sand is mechanically crushed or pulverized.