In Australia, asbestos concerns for Taylor Swift’s Sydney show, after LGBTQ Mardi Gras fair cancelled

Sydney’s government is seeking a remedy to ensure Swift’s show goes ahead next weekend, after the discovery of asbestos in the city, including housing estates

Asbestos became popular in the 19th century to reinforce cement and fireproofing, but research later found inhaling fibres could cause lung inflammation and cancer

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Asbestos signs are displayed at Victoria Park in Sydney. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 12:00pm, 17 Feb 2024

Australian authorities said on Saturday asbestos had been discovered in more places in Sydney, including housing estates, as the New South Wales government continued a weeks-long scramble to remove the toxic material from mulch used in public areas.

The contamination was discovered in January when asbestos was found in a playground in Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, and subsequent investigations spotted it in recycled mulch near the park, built above an underground road interchange.

Since then, in what is the biggest investigation by the state’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) in decades, 32 city sites have returned positive results for bonded asbestos, the agency said in a statement on Saturday.

Fair Day, the rampant rainbow extravaganza headlining the first weekend of Sydney Mardi Gras, has been cancelled due to concerns over asbestos-tainted mulch. Photo: EPA-EFE

The EPA said new sites where asbestos had been detected were a public school and park in the city’s north, and two residential estates under construction in Sydney’s southwest.

The University of Sydney had also been identified as potentially tainted and would be tested this weekend, it said.

EPA head Tony Chappel said a concert by pop superstar Taylor Swift set to take place next weekend in the city’s west would go ahead, despite asbestos concerns nearby.

There are asbestos concerns about Taylor Swift’s show in Sydney. Photo: EPA-EFE

“[The] Government has ensured any necessary resources for remediation should they be required are in place, and we can make sure that the site is in the clear for the Taylor Swift event,” Chappel said in Sydney.