September 6th, 2007

The Randwick City Council in Australia has decided that one of its parks, the Heffron Park, will be tested for asbestos presence on a regular basis following concerns from local residents. Asbestos is a substance that can cause a range of health problems through exposure to its airborne fibers and dust, and this includes a form of cancer known as mesothelioma.

Specialist contractors have been taken on to carry out the testing once every three months at the park. After each session of testing, samples will be taken to a lab environment for testing, and the results will be reported to the relevant authorities.

The Deputy Mayor stated: "This issue is not going to go away. The community wants something to be done. The Greens have behaved responsibly over this, while Labor have been complacent and underestimated the strength of community feeling." However, a Labor spokesman stated: "Labor believe this issue is best dealt with by experts, which is why we supported the testing. We need to wait for the results to find out the extent of the problem. We do not believe in creating a heightened state of alarm before we know what we're dealing with."

One local resident added: "This is a positive thing for the community. The council has had their heads in the sand for too long and at least now they are admitting that there is asbestos there and are willing to do something about it."