The Former Transport Depot in Kingston has been found to have lead particulates in its surface dust.
As a result, the Depot, which is home to the Old Bus Depot Markets, has been closed since early 2020.
Minister for Business, Tara Cheyne said that during the closure $6.5 million of renovations had been underway to improve the safety, accessibility and sustainability of the facility.
“In the course of undertaking the renovations, dust samples collected from the Former Transport Depot were analysed and showed the presence of lead particles,” Ms Cheyne said.
“Following this, a licensed assessor tested surfaces in and around the facility in February,” she said.
Ms Cheyne said some of the assessor’s test results returned a lead reading above the adopted threshold limit on surfaces.
“The contractor also set up air monitoring test points in late January,” she said.
“All results returned during that testing period show that the concentration of atmosphere lead was below the detectable limits.’
Ms Cheyne said it was likely that the lead dust had been present with minimal disturbance at the Former Transport Depot for many years but may have been unsettled during recent construction activities.
She said the facility would undergo cleaning and remediation prior to reopening to the public.
