1. As part of its upgrading and maintenance works on the campsite on St. John’s Island, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) discovered debris which contain asbestos around the campsite, lagoon and holiday bungalow area.

2. SLA is taking all necessary precautions to safeguard public health and safety. SLA has closed the campsites and cordoned off the public access to the affected areas. The campsites will remain closed and public access to affected areas will remain cordoned off until removal efforts are completed, which are expected to be by the end of the year.

3. Asbestos-related diseases such as asbestosis occur mainly in people with many years of continued exposure to high levels of asbestos, and this is commonly work-related. The risk of developing an asbestos-related disease for persons with incidental exposure, including visitors and campers at St John’s Island, is low.

Background

4. SLA is currently carrying out upgrading and maintenance works on the campsite on St. John’s Island. This is to enhance the existing facilities.

5. During these works, SLA’s contractor discovered debris suspected to contain asbestos. Since the discovery on 19 Mar 2018, SLA worked with its contractor and its Asbestos Surveyor to take samples of the debris around the island and test for asbestos.

6. On 16 Apr 2018, the Asbestos Surveyor confirmed the presence of asbestos in the samples taken from debris around the campsite, lagoon and holiday bungalow area. Asbestos was not detected on the rest of the island.

Precautions Taken

7. SLA is taking all necessary precautions to safeguard public health and safety. On 17 Apr, SLA closed the campsite and cordoned off all affected areas. This is a precautionary measure and the areas will remain closed to the public until removal efforts are completed, which are expected to be by the end of the year. SLA has deployed officers to advise individuals against entering the affected areas. SLA has also cancelled all existing bookings and stopped all new bookings for the campsite.

8. Long-term residents and the employees working on the island have been alerted to the discovery of the asbestos debris and the steps that are being taken to remove the debris.

Further Action

9. The removal works are expected to be completed by end-2018. SLA plans to reopen the campsite in mid-2019 once the rest of the upgrading and maintenance works are completed. SLA is also investigating how the asbestos debris came to be on the island.

About Asbestos

10. Internationally, asbestos was commonly used in building materials. The material has been banned in Singapore since 1989 due to concerns about health risks, following other developed countries. Nevertheless, the asbestos materials in old buildings are unlikely to pose any health risk as long as they remain in good condition and are not disturbed.

11. Asbestos-related diseases such as asbestosis occur mainly in people with many years of continued exposure to high levels of asbestos, and this is commonly work-related. The risk of developing an asbestos-related disease for persons with incidental exposure, including visitors and campers at St John’s Island, is low.

12. The public may call SLA at 1800 323 9829 or email SLA at SLA_enquiry@sla.gov.sg if they have any query.

Annexes

A. Factsheet on asbestos

B. Map of St John’s Island

C. Photos of asbestos found on the island