Asbestos News

A mayor of a town in New South Wales, Australia, is assuring residents that there is no asbestos risk posed by red dust that has covered a park in recent days.

Locals in Maroubra were concerned about the dust that continually covers Coral Sea Park, fearing that it might contain asbestos, according to the Southern Courier. However, Randwick mayor Scott Nash said that testing had been conducted by an independent specialist, and it was found that asbestos was not present.

"The tests found no air-borne asbestos," the mayor said, reports the news provider. "This material is generally safe unless it's drilled or sanded and consumed in some way."

The dust problem reportedly started after an irrigation system that suppressed the top soil broke.

Despite the assurances, some residents were still upset by the problem.

"Come to my house and watch my wife cough so hard she throws up every night," Tasman Cassim he said. "Come to my house and watch my daughter wake covered in dust every morning."

Exposure to asbestos can cause a number of serious illnesses such as asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma. Australia reportedly has the highest incidence rate of the rare and deadly cancer in the world.