Woonona residents fear young children have been exposed to asbestos after waste was illegally dumped outside a property three weeks after a house fire.
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The possibly carcinogenic material was spotted outside the burnt-out Cotterill Avenue property by neighbouring Housing NSW resident Del, who wished to keep her surname anonymous, on Saturday morning.
The Department of Planning and Environment (DPIE) confirmed the removal of the fibrous sheets was a high priority. The waste was collected on Sunday morning.
However Del believes it may be too little, too late as she has watched tiny "orangey" bits fly from the fibro property and into her yard for the past three weeks.
"I'm in my 60s, something else will kill me before asbestos does," she said.
"But there's little kids across the road, there's a lot of people who walk their dogs, ride their bikes.
"And this is just blowing around our neighbourhood."
Del was so concerned about exposing her grandchildren to asbestos that she cancelled her Easter plans.
Wollongong City Council workers responded to reports of illegally dumped material on Saturday morning, and covered it with tarpaulin.
"The materials appear to be bonded asbestos sheeting which is intact and doesn't present a risk to public health in its current form," a council spokesperson said.
"Council has secured the materials and arranged for removal by a contractor after the long weekend."
A containment fence was put in place around the Department of Housing property after the March 19 fire, however Del believes this material wasn't secured, with tarps "blowing like a big sale" as strong winds took hold of the region.
Resident Barbara Atkins agreed that safety was at risk and has voiced her concerns to authorities including council and the NSW Environment Protection Authority.
"I took a professional building inspector around there last week to have a look at it ... because local children were walking through the asbestos to get to school," she said.
"There were large pieces of asbestos about the size of a softball moving to the road."
The DPIE said the NSW Land and Housing Corporation takes asbestos risks seriously and is prioritising the demolition of the Cotterill Avenue property.
"A senior LAHC representative inspected the site on 8 April and identified some illegally dumped waste outside the property, including potentially asbestos-contaminated materials," a DPIE spokesperson said.
"LAHC is prioritising the demolition of the property and will ensure that neighbours are informed and supported during the demolition period.
"Our priority is to provide safe, secure, and habitable homes for residents, and we will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure this."
The spokesperson added contractors have been regularly monitoring the site.
"Following the fire at the property ... LAHC's contractors completed make safe works on 20 March," a DPIE spokesperson said on Sunday.
"Since 31 March, LAHC's contractors are attending the site three times weekly to ensure it remains secure and undertake additional make safe measures as needed."
EPA also acknowledged the issue and said it had been liaising with the NSW Housing about the cleanup.
"If residents want to report concerns around asbestos they can contact the EPA's Environment Line on 131 555," a spokesperson said.
Del was grateful for the response but added the incident exposed a wider problem about NSW Housing properties in the Illawarra.
"I really appreciate there's been action," she said.
"But there's been absolutely no maintenance on these homes.
"I'm not entirely confidence I'm safe here from asbestos."
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Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
