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Volume 7, Wednesday March 17, 2010
Miners’
Liam on
Inspirational
Page 3
Page 20
Page 2
Cup date set for July
fast track to the top
women tell their stories
Asbestos tests at Andamooka
TOP: Andamooka School Principal Angela Turner with a letter from the Department confirming tests had been carried out and ongoing tests would continue at the site. Rain events affect the release of any asbestos left in the soil from the demolition of the old buildings burnt down some years ago. INSET: A familiar sign around many towns signifying buildings contain asbestos. This one is at the Andamooka Police Station.
P
School watch
aul Tanza has been living in Andamooka for over 30 years and claims children at the Andamooka School are in danger of asbestos related diseases. According to Mr Tanza, the school is an unhealthy environment because it has a huge amount of asbestos in its playground and parking areas. “Nobody can physically see it by eye but it is there, blowing around so it needs to be cleaned and covered over,” Mr Tanza said. He claims the school was made aware of the asbestos situation at the end of January 2007 and according to him hasn’t taken the matter seriously. “Our main concern is the children up there playing among the asbestos debris. “And it has taken all this time for them to do something about it. Nothing has been done back then, so why are they cleaning it all up now?” he questions. Mr Tanza believes, “The amount of asbestos fibres in
By Celeste Lustosa
the school is absolutely dangerous for the children to be around.” School Principal, Angela Turner said when contacted by The Monitor, “The asbestos containing material that was found at the school was found to be “non- friable,” which means it was not fragmenting or powdery or containing loose asbestos fibres. It was also not considered to pose an exposure or health risk.” She also said the matter is being dealt with in partnership with the Department for Transport Energy and Infrastructure, and in consultation with Safework SA, is developing a future asbestos management plan that includes regular inspections, which will ensure the ongoing safety of the site. Mr Tanza, who believes action should have been taken earlier, said, “We have picked up a lot of pieces around the school and I have done it myself so I know the amount was very big. “There are a lot of kids playing in the dirt and I am sure these fibres in the air can make people sick.
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“I have approached two inspectors that were in the area and asked them if they would let their children play in that playground and parking area and they said ‘no way’, so how can that mean it is not dangerous to be there?,” Mr Tanza claimed. According to another long term resident from Andamooka and APOMA’s chairperson, Peter Allen, asbestos is a well-known issue in town. “It was found amounts of asbestos behind the Community Hall and clean-up notices were issued and signed off, so now everything is clean,” Mr Allen said. He also told The Monitor exclusively that he believes over half of the buildings in town would contain asbestos but that it doesn’t mean the town is in danger. The School’s Principal Angela Turner confirmed that air sample monitoring and a clear up was undertaken on the school site on Sunday, February 14, and the next day a letter was received stating that the readings were at the lowest reportable concentration and that is was safe to reoccupy the areas.