Canberra schools with lead paint or asbestos revealed

The ACT government bowed to pressure on Wednesday, publishing the names of 76 schools where lead paint or asbestos has been found. Of those, 75 have lead paint, 71 have asbestos and 69 schools have both lead and asbestos.

A directorate spokesman said 46 schools were tested for hazardous materials this year and of these schools, 11 returned lead dust readings above the acceptance threshold.

The directorate refused to answer questions about the locations of those schools, prompting opposition education spokesman Jeremy Hanson to slam the government's chaotic and poorly-handled management of hazardous materials in schools.

"Parents and staff want to know, yes, there's an issue with either asbestos or lead dust but has it been remediated, has it been rendered safe?" he said.

"And for the government to just publish the list of schools, I think it's only doing half that job."

Mr Hanson said the list was published the same day a freedom of information request was due to be released to the opposition.

Professor of environmental science and human health Mark Patrick Taylor has been engaged as a expert on the directorate's hazardous materials advisory panel. He said the ACT had adopted the United State's acceptable lead loading of 110 micrograms per square metre.

"From everything that I've seen the processes that have been put in place will much better protect schools, much better inform the teachers and the parents," he said.

Professor Taylor said he had advised the directorate to create a cover sheet for each school's hazard management plan so that parents could easily interpret the technical information.

READ MORE:

The list of schools with hazardous materials was published after pressure from the opposition and media reports of four schools that have had to undergo lead paint remediation since July.

Buildings constructed before 1992 are known to contain lead paint and those built before 1988 commonly contain asbestos.

ACT Council of Parents and Citizens Associations spokeswoman Janelle Kennard said parents wanted to know the details of where the lead and asbestos was located in their schools to feel confident that their children were safe.

"We're always looking to have really good, honest, clear communication with parents to make good decision for their kids," she said.

"It's always worrying to hear about lead near your child, no matter how small that chance of exposure is."

She welcomed the expert advisory panel and reiterated that the council would like to see a long-term plan for removal of lead and asbestos.

Education Minister Yvette Berry said further information would be provided to school communities through newsletters, drop-in sessions with experts and school websites.

"The risk is really, really low and we are managing it based on the advice from the experts," Ms Berry said.

Ms Berry said parents would be notified if classrooms were closed for lead paint remediation.

"It would be impossible to eradicate it completely and that's why management of it by encapsulating it with paint is the best way to keep it safe."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: