Occupational hygienists have found asbestos-containing materials inside a first-grade classroom at the Essendon North Primary School in northwest Melbourne. The Education Department quickly began investigating the site after the asbestos was discovered on Feb. 27.

All of the school’s Grade 1 classrooms are now scheduled to be demolished.

Asbestos Dust Contaminates Grade 1 Classroom in Melbourne

Some asbestos-containing materials were disturbed during recent renovation work in the school. Dust from the renovations settled on top of children’s school bags in the aforementioned classroom.

The concentration of asbestos fibres in the room was found to be below the laboratory detection limit. Despite this, the room has since been cleaned and sealed off for students’ safety.

Further developments have revealed asbestos sheeting in the roof of a prep classroom at the same school. All Grade 1 classrooms at Essendon North are now slated to be torn down and replaced with a relocatable building. Teachers will also receive training in asbestos identification.

Back in 2016, the Australian government audited 1,700 schools for asbestos materials. 500 of the audited schools underwent asbestos removal. With this recent discovery, however, the opposition has reminded parents to check on their children’s schools and ask whether they have received asbestos audits.

Read the original report here.

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