By CHERIE DONNELLAN
THE disturbance of a Torquay asbestos dump over summer could threaten the health of nearby residents, a landowner fears.
Kim Hammond said she watched “uninformed locals” including children walking and playing on the dump site over Easter after “men in white suits” had spent months removing asbestos.
Site owner Ironbridge Property hired contractors who used excavators to remove the asbestos from 12 Sea Breeze Dve between December and February, she said.
Ms Hammond commissioned a Geelong West laboratory to test soil samples from the site, which identified the presence of dangerous brown asbestos
The substance could become airborne, threatening nearby residents, she said.
Ms Hammond was “very concerned” to discover the removal work was allowed without any legal requirement to notify residents.
She was worried windy weather over summer could have blown asbestos into her home, about 100 metres away on Alleyne Ave.
“There appears to be very little requirement for protection of residents during the removal process whereas workers have strict procedures, high levels of protection and ongoing medical testing.”
Ms Hammond said the contractors failed to apply water to prevent airborne fibres during the first stage of the removal.
But “water trucks started to appear occasionally” after she notified WorkSafe.
An Ironbridge spokesperson told Ms Hammond the works were “in accordance with Victorian Government regulations” and “supervised by engineers”.
Air-monitoring failed to detect fibres, the spokesperson said in an email.
Ms Hammond said she had requested permission to erect warning signs about remaining asbestos but the spokesperson asked her to “not interfere on our land”.
EPA spokeswoman Tanya O’Shea said the authority was “aware of the site” but Surf Coast Shire was responsible for responding to residents’ health concerns.
The shire’s health department had not returned the Independent’s call for comment before the paper went to press.
