Sydney parks cordoned off, Mardi Gras event cancel

Australian authorities on Friday cordoned off areas in several parks in Sydney after the discovery of asbestos in mulch, while schools began precautionary testing as the government scrambled to remove the toxic material from public spaces.
Asbestos was found in a playground in Sydney’s inner west in January and subsequent investigations spotted it in recycled mulch at several locations near the park constructed above an underground road interchange.
Since then about 20 city sites including transport projects, a primary school, a supermarket and a hospital were confirmed contaminated.
Sydney City Council said it would begin inspecting 33 parks, some in popular tourist spots, and dozens of garden beds where the contaminated mulch may have been used. The testing will take up to several weeks.
About 700 students at a public school in Sydney’s southwest will be relocated to another school for several weeks after finding asbestos on campus. Inspections began at seven other schools.