Four businesses are being decontaminated at Weston Creek's major shopping centre Cooleman Court after asbestos or asbestos-like particles were found in an air-conditioning duct and possibly blown into the outlets this week.Both ACT WorkCover and the centre's owner Mirvac Real Estate Investment Trust have suggested the risk to the public is minimal.Attorney-General Simon Corbell, the minister responsible for WorkCover, says the substance is asbestos; Mirvac describes it as ''potentially asbestos-related material''.
The inhalation of asbestos fibres can cause serious illnesses, including malignant mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.
Workers wearing protective suits and face masks and carrying bags marked ''warning asbestos dust'' were yesterday cleaning out the four closed shops the Cooleman Court Newsagency, Weston Creek Laundromat, Hagi Baba takeaway and Canberra Dry Cleaners. The shops were cordoned off and black plastic put over their windows.Neither Workcover nor Mirvac issued a statement about the incident until they were contacted by The Canberra Times, which in turn had been alerted by a trader in the centre. Mr Corbell said the situation had been ''identified as a low-risk incident by scientific experts and there is no official health alert rising from this incident, but those who are concerned can seek medical advice''. ''It is not usual practice to put out a statement on incidents like this, to prevent unnecessary alarm in the community,'' he said. ''The community can be reassured that all processes have been followed on this occasion and the community will be notified if there are any further issues that arise from this incident in the future.''
Mirvac said the contamination was discovered on Wednesday night. It denied allegations by a trader that the substance was found three days earlier.It's understood the shops were shut about 11am on Thursday.Mr Corbell said the Office of Regulatory Services was alerted on Thursday morning by the contractor doing building work at the centre.
Cooleman Court, which was built in 1978, is undergoing a $12.4million refurbishment, the construction work uncovering the material.
''The asbestos was found in an air-conditioning duct that serviced those four shops. It has been identified that a small quantity of asbestos may have been disseminated through the ducts into the shops,'' Mr Corbell said. ''Based on the expert monitoring that has occured [on Thursday], the advice I have is that it presents a low-risk to the shopkeepers and the public, but as a precaution, the shops have been closed and measures are now under way for the shops to be decontaminated and further monitoring will be undertaken prior to the shops being allowed to re-open.''A statement from Mirvac said tests on Wednesday night ''found potentially asbestos-related material lying in the base of a section of ductwork leading to four tenancies''.
''As a precautionary measure, the air handling unit was immediately shut down and all air registers serviced by the duct were sealed,'' it read.
''WorkCover was immediately notified of events by the contractor carrying out the works.''The statement said the duct-work and four shops would remain closed until further decontamination and testing.''The health and welfare of the centre's tenants and patrons is our biggest concern,'' the statement read.
It appears intact asbestos was discovered months earlier but possibly disturbed at a later point. Mirvac says that as part of the refurbishment work ''components of the original duct heating units installed within the mechanical ventilation system were found to have contained asbestos-related materials, consistent with many buildings constructed in the 1970s. As a result, the progressive removal of these heating units commenced straight away''.
A spokeswoman for the company could not say exactly when that happened.
''Routine airborne tests have been undertaken throughout the removal process of these units and show below minimum levels outlined by national exposure standards for atmospheric contaminants,'' the statement read.
''In addition, all removal of the units has occurred in accordance with WorkCover requirements by appropriately licensed contractors.'' Further tests on Wednesday then uncovered the material in the ductwork.Mr Corbell said WorkCover would investigate how the incident occurred. ''But I should stress all parties have been extremely cooperative,'' he said.
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