No legal charges filed following asbestos case close to school

Macau Anglican College

No further legal action has been taken following the presence of asbestos in demolition work carried out in a plot located in Taipa at Padre Tomás Pereira Avenue. The demolition and construction works were conducted illegally and a local school was affected.

In January, several parents from the Macau Anglican College refused to bring their children to school following the discovery of asbestos, which can cause serious chronic respiratory disease, in the vicinity.

The toxic material was discovered as a rooftop was being demolished in the area.

Questioned by the Times, the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT), stated that it has issued an embargo order to the owner of the construction site, and that the work was suspended – as has been previously reported.

The bureau’s statement implied that no further fines were handed out to the owner, despite the fact that the works were conducted with no legal permits, and that they put the schoolchildren at risk.

“In order to ensure that materials containing asbestos do not impact the environment, the board of the Environmental Protection Services (DSPA) has commissioned a professional body to carry out the inspection. So far, there have been no abnormal situations,” it noted.

“The DSPA also required the site manager to minimize pollution and carry out subsequent control work, according to expert suggestions, until the safety of the site is confirmed,” DSSOPT added.

The Times contacted the principal of the school, Robert Alexander, to enquire whether the school has filed or is planning to file a legal complaint against the site owner. However, he only noted that the school currently has no updates on the related matter.
“We have no further updates regarding the asbestos issue at this stage,” the principal replied. No supplementary information was provided.

According to a parent, the school is working with parents to put a plan in place to deal with future issues and to ensure that all parents receive up to date information and bulletins.

“A new one [Whatsapp group] was set up to get input on creating better communication between the school and home but that’s just turned into a forum for any school matters and not it’s original set up,” said the parent.

Previously, parents to whom the Times spoke, expressed their belief that the site owner should be investigated and eventually sued for putting the public in danger. LV