THOUSANDS of tonnes of toxic waste that threatens the health of construction workers has been uncovered during building works at the $90 million Westfield Kotara redevelopment.
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Poisonous aluminium salt slag was discovered by workers, who noticed a pungent smell, during excavation of a car park near Northcott Drive in mid August.
The slag, also known as salt cake, can emit highly toxic and explosive gases when exposed to water or humidity and is believed to have been used as landfill at the site decades ago.
The Environment Protection Authority and SafeWork NSW have launched investigations into the matter.
There are fears workers could have been exposed to the contamination following allegations that safety precautions were not properly followed.
But a spokeswoman for Scentre Group - that owns the Westfield shopping centre and is managing the construction – said worker safety was of “paramount importance”.