Since the beginning of 2009, asbestos has been found in the sand pits of Tewantin State School, in the city of Tewantin, Queensland, Australia, a startling four times. In total, eight cases of asbestos have been reported at the school, and at least six letters have been sent to parents after discovering schoolyard asbestos. Each time asbestos is found, the section is cordoned off until it is deemed safe, yet just a couple of months later another incident arises in another part of the playground.
Asbestos is a highly resistant mineral rock that if broken apart can release toxic fibers that can lead to life threatening diseases, such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. If inhaled, the fibers reach the lungs, where the toxin can cause a very rare and almost always asbestos induced cancer called pleural mesothelioma, which affects the lining of the lungs known as the pleura.
Parents have been notified twice this September. The first notification went out when asbestos was found in the Prep playground area, which remains closed, and the second was when it was found under Grade 4 classrooms. The school has been diligent in keeping parents informed, but it has yet to do a full audit of the school.
The Sunshine Coast Queensland Teachers Union claims that the level of asbestos in the region’s schools is a concern and that teachers afraid of asbestos contamination have refused to enter classrooms.
For now, the school’s response, although seeming lax to some, has followed the State Government’s strict asbestos management guidelines. As stipulated, sand was removed from the playground’s sand pits and access was restricted to affected areas.