More than half
of St John's Island cordoned off after debris with asbestos
found
SINGAPORE: More than half of St John's Island has been cordoned
off after debris containing asbestos was found on the island, the
Singapore Land Authority (SLA) said on Monday (Apr 23).
The areas blocked off to the public include most of the island’s
facilities such as the nature trail, campsite, lagoon and the
holiday bungalow area, said SLA, which manages the island.
The closure took effect last Tuesday, a day after samples taken
from the campsite, lagoon and holiday bungalow area tested positive
for asbestos.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral which was commonly used
as a construction material in the past. The use of asbestos in
building materials has been banned in Singapore since 1989 due to
concerns about health risks.
Senior consultant of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at the
Singapore General Hospital, Professor Loo Chian Min, said the
health risk was low for casual visitors to the island.
"We shouldn’t expect any health issues for visitors. I wouldn’t be
particularly concerned," said Prof Loo.
“For someone who is occupationally exposed for a long time, they
can develop a few things, such as asbestosis, where the lungs get
scarred, which leads to breathlessness,” he said.
"The risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma, which is the cancer of
the lining of the lungs and the heart, are the main health
risks.”
CAMPSITE TO REOPEN MID-2019
SLA said that removal works will start this Friday and will be
completed by the end of the year. It aims to reopen the campsite by
mid-2019.
Meanwhile, the authority has cancelled all bookings for the
island’s facilities. Fewer than a dozen bookings have been
affected, it said.
SLA chief executive Tan Boon Khai said it had yet to determine the
source of the debris which tested positive for asbestos.
"It could have been there for some time, but we are investigating
the matter," he said.
Regarding the two residents who grew up and live on St John’s
Island, Mr Tan said they were in good health and have moved to the
mainland after being informed of the asbestos.
SLA said it will continue to follow up with the two residents, and
they will be allowed to return to their homes when the cordoned
area is deemed safe.
The authority, which took over the management of the island from
the Sentosa Development Corp in March last year, had been carrying
out maintenance and upgrading works to enhance the existing
facilities.
It was during the works that SLA's contractors discovered the
debris, and extracted samples around the campsite, lagoon and
holiday bungalow area for further asbestos testing on Mar 19.
Last Monday, the asbestos surveyor appointed by SLA confirmed the
presence of asbestos in the samples. It was not detected on the
rest of the island, which houses a Marine Aquaculture Centre.
The regular scheduled ferry timings to St John’s Island will
continue to be available throughout the removal works. Visitors
will still be able to cross the linkway which connects St John’s
Island to Lazarus Island.
Source: CNA/nc