|
The Department of Education and Training (DET) announced that two thousand public schools in NSW will be inspected for asbestos.
The DET is planning to call tenders next month for the job. This will be a multi-million-dollar contract which is meant for auditing every school building constructed before 1988 in order to know the presence of the carcinogen.
DET has asked to create a register displaying the exact locations of asbestos material at primary and secondary schools so that teachers, parents or tradespeople do not hammer or drill into it unintentionally.
According to a report, approximately $3 million has been allocated in the NSW Budget today for the asbestos inspections however, the cost expected for remedial works is an extra tens of millions of dollars.
Asbestos is a combination of several minerals that separate into long, threadlike fibers. It was widely used in the past due to its strength, chemical and thermal stability. Asbestos was a common building material from 1945 until 1975 and was used in wall and ceiling panels, insulation and lagging. The exposure to asbestos often cause severe health hazards.
Although hundreds of new schools have been built in recent years there are still significant numbers of older buildings which were constructed when the danger of asbestos was not fully known. Even the use of drawing pins in asbestos cement walls could release deadly fibres into the air. Asbestos is extremely dangerous especially when it's airborne.
287 Schools across NSW has already undergone asbestos inspection. In the last four years, more than 19 million has been spend for this.
|
 |
|
