Seven Sydney schools tested as asbestos mulch found at hospital, supermarket and new park | Australia news

Asbestos has been found in mulch at a hospital, a supermarket and another park in Sydney, and seven schools will be tested as a priority as the state’s environmental watchdog continues its largest ever investigation.

The New South Wales Environment Protection Authority confirmed on Friday that bonded asbestos had been found in mulch at St John of God hospital in North Richmond, Woolworths in Kellyville and a Transport for NSW park in Wiley Park.

The EPA named the new sites the day after the government announced a surge workforce of public servants and firefighters, as well as a new asbestos taskforce, would assist the agency with its criminal investigation.

Seven schools have been chosen to undertake precautionary testing based on how much mulch they have on site. The EPA said it identified these particular schools because they received mulch from Greenlife Resource Recovery.

Greenlife denies they are responsible for the contamination.

Greenlife supplied the mulch that has been found to contain both bonded and friable asbestos at sites, including parks, hospitals and several government infrastructure projects across Sydney and in regional NSW.

Testing will take place at Allambie Heights Public School, International Grammar School, Mt Annan Christian College, North Sydney Public School, Penrith Christian School, Westmead Christian Grammar and St Luke’s Catholic College.

St Luke’s Catholic College, in Marsden Park, will be closed on Friday, with students to learn from home.

“There is currently no evidence of asbestos contamination at any of the schools identified,” an EPA spokesperson said.

“The EPA is providing this advice ahead of testing to keep the school community across developments so they can advise parents and keep school communities safe.”

Asbestos had been found at 10% of the sites tested by the agency since it began its investigation after the discovery of contamination at the Rozelle parklands in January.

Bonded asbestos had been found at 23 sites and the more dangerous friable asbestos at one site – Harmony Park in Surry Hills.

The City of Sydney said it would test another 33 parks and garden beds in 38 sites where the council believes asbestos contaminated mulch may have been used.

On Thursday, the EPA chief executive, Tony Chappel, said it was a “complex, large supply chain” and while multiple suppliers were being looked at as part of the probe, so far only mulch from Greenlife had been found to contain asbestos.

Greenlife has insisted it is not responsible for the contamination and that multiple rounds of testing by independent laboratories showed their mulch was free from asbestos before it was distributed to customers.

But the EPA has raised concerns about mulch manufactured and sold between March and December last year, which it said was not available for them to inspect when they visited Greelife’s facility in January.

The landscaping products manufacturer has launched a legal challenge in the NSW land and environment court against the EPA as it fights a ban on it selling mulch while the investigation is under way.