Asbestos has been discovered at a second park in Melbourne, as investigations continue into the building material found in recycled mulch at another.
Merri-bek city council on Friday said it had recently detected “asbestos-contaminated soil” at Hosken Reserve in Coburg North, after an earlier discovery during major construction work in late January.
The “majority of the site” had been closed to the public since the discovery in January, a council spokesperson said in a statement.
“Following this discovery, appropriate measures were taken to ensure the contaminated soil was removed, the site was safe and local residents were notified,” they said.
“During more recent landscaping works, further asbestos-contaminated soil was discovered. This contaminated soil is now being removed by competent and qualified asbestos removalists and is expected to be completed by Friday 31 May.”
Throughout the removal works, air monitoring will be conducted to ensure the safety of workers and nearby residents, the spokesperson said. Workers on site will also be required to wear personal protective equipment.
They said any soil that contains asbestos is also “sealed, under cover and is inaccessible to the public”.
“This contaminated soil is removed from the site as a priority, however, other clean soil remains on site that is also covered to reduce dust. The reserve remains closed to the public,” the spokesperson said.
The council said in both instances, the asbestos found at the reserve has been “localised to soil only” and has not been detected in any new materials brought on to the site.
All asbestos found on the site was considered non-friable, which means it is solid and cannot be crumbled or released into the air, the spokesperson said.
They said there was “no evidence” it was linked to any other asbestos contamination cases across the state or nationally.
“It is a frequent occurrence in inner Melbourne that construction projects will involve discovery of centuries-old or decades-old contamination, which can then be appropriately dealt with under standards and guidelines,” they said.
The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has also been notified.
Temporary fencing has been set up around the playground, as well as tape that reads: “danger asbestos dust hazard”.
It comes after two pieces of asbestos were found at Donald McLean Reserve in Spotswood, in Melbourne’s west, earlier this week.
On Wednesday, the Hobsons Bay city council in Melbourne confirmed two pieces of building material found by a resident on Monday contained asbestos.
The council said the asbestos material was discovered in a recycled mulch product around mature tree-planting. A “virgin soft mulch” was also used around the playground.
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It said it has identified the supplier of the mulch but has not made this information public.
The park, which opened in April 2023, has been closed since Tuesday as investigations continue.
The council is also working with the EPA and a material hygienist to inspect other sites in the local government area using the mulch, though it has not identified the locations.
The Victorian opposition said the state government must do more to ensure the state’s parks were safe for children to play in.
“This shouldn’t happen. The government needs to come clean and tell us: are there any other playgrounds that have the same kind of risk [and] what is the government doing to mitigate the risk?” the deputy Liberal leader, David Southwick, said.
“It just doesn’t seem right that the government are allowing these things to be discovered just by chance.
“The government needs to come out and reassure the public we don’t have this problem at other parks around Victoria. It’s a real concern. We want kids to be able to play safely.
Guardian Australia has approached the government for comment.
There is heightened community concern around asbestos contamination after the discovery of bonded asbestos at more than 75 sites, including parks and schools, in New South Wales.
Queensland authorities have also identified at least 90 sites for investigation after contaminated mulch was taken from two stockpiles.
EPA Victoria has conducted precautionary inspections of 59 commercial mulch producers and said on Wednesday no traces of asbestos were found in their products.
Additional reporting by Adeshola Ore
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