Have you ever obtained garden mulch from a site like Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace?
You could be putting your health at risk, according to a fresh warning from Environmental Protection Authority Victoria (EPA).
The EPA said on Wednesday an investigation was underway after a person in Melbourne received free mulch last year via an online marketplace that contained building rubble, including asbestos.
The case highlighted why garden mulch should only be obtained from reliable sources, it said.
"I urge the community to watch out for anyone offering garden mulch who can’t demonstrate they follow appropriate high standards and quality checks to avoid contamination," EPA Victoria's director of regulatory services Duncan Pendrigh said in a statement.
"If the offer seems too good to be true, be wary of it.
"If you suspect material in your mulch could be asbestos, do not disturb it and report it to EPA."
Where has asbestos been found in mulch in Australia?
The EPA warning comes after a playground in Melbourne's west was closed on Tuesday following the discovery of what appeared to be asbestos among mulch.
Jason Murphy had taken his children to play at Donald McLean Reserve in Spotswood on Monday when he found a piece of wood in recycled mulch that had nails poking through it.
"I found that a bit disturbing," he said during a press conference on Thursday.
"I was having a look through the mulch … and it sort of became clear to me that the mulch was old building materials that had been put through a mulcher rather than what you might expect mulch to be made of.
"Then I found this chunk of stuff that looked to me a lot like it could be asbestos."
Asbestos was found in mulch at Donald McLean Reserve in the Melbourne suburb of Spotswood. Source: AAP / James Ross
"The safety of our community is our priority and council is working with the EPA and the hygienist to inspect other sites using this mulch," the council said in a statement on Thursday.
It comes after fragments of bonded asbestos were detected in Sydney's Rozelle Parklands in February, .
The NSW Environment Protection Authority has since confirmed at least 75 sites, including schools and parks, were contaminated with traces of asbestos.
Authorities in Queensland have identified at least 90 sites for investigation after .
What is asbestos and how dangerous is it?
Asbestos is the name for a group of naturally occurring minerals that became popular in many Australian building products from the 1940s, until they were phased out in the 1980s.
There are two types of asbestos materials: bonded (non-friable) and friable (loosely bound).
Friable (loosely bound) asbestos is considered the most dangerous type as it can be crumbled or reduced to powder by hand, meaning its fibres can easily be released into the air.
When inhaled, asbestos fibres can become lodged or embedded in the lung tissue.
The resulting irritation can cause several diseases including lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis.
Being exposed to asbestos fibres can also increase the risk of ovary and larynx cancer.
According to the Cancer Council, your risk of developing an asbestos-related disease varies depending on the:
- length of time you are exposed to airborne asbestos fibres
- amount of asbestos fibres in the air breathed in
- frequency of exposure to asbestos fibres
- time since exposure occurred
- age at which exposure occurred
- type and size of asbestos fibres
Could there be more asbestos in mulch elsewhere?
Murphy said he was concerned that there could be other playgrounds across Melbourne, and the rest of the country, where contaminated mulch was present.
"It's not about this one playground, it's about the systems that are in place to turn recycled building materials into mulch," he said.
"They're not taking nearly enough care. There needs to be a really serious amount of care taken to prevent asbestos, which is incredibly dangerous, ending up in these environments where kids are playing."
EPA Victoria said its officers had proactively inspected 59 commercial mulch producers over the last five weeks and no asbestos was found.
Six were required to strengthen their controls to prevent contamination from occurring.
"EPA places strict conditions on industry and conducts regular inspections to ensure they maintain strong controls for preventing asbestos contamination," Pendrigh said.
"The 59 targeted inspections of commercial mulch producers were in addition to inspections we routinely do to protect our environment."
Victorian businesses found guilty of mishandling asbestos can be fined up to $2 million.
