An environmental consultant has been accused of falsifying laboratory sampling results in environmental reports that councils used when assessing 135 sites for development across New South Wales – including 24 childcare centres and a school.
The NSW Environment Protection Authority said on Friday it was investigating the allegations about Noel Child of N G Child & Associates and had begun visiting the affected childcare centres to “discuss the issues with the operators”.
The environment watchdog said in a statement there was no immediate risk to public health and safety.
The regulator said the allegedly falsified reports mostly related to contaminated land assessments involving soil, ground and surface water, and air sampling.
Reports were also allegedly falsified for 18 residential properties, eight industrial or commercial sites and 84 yet-to-be-developed sites across the state. Thirty-three council areas were affected, the EPA said, including the City of Sydney, Hornsby, Parramatta, Hawkesbury City, Central Coast, Blacktown and Randwick councils.
The regulator has published lists of the affected childcare centres and councils.
A source said the reports generally related to the pre-development phase, although some sites were occupied when the reports were prepared.
“As a priority, the EPA has begun visiting the 24 childcare centres today to discuss the issues with the operators,” a spokesperson said on Friday.
“We are notifying all councils that may have relied on reports produced by Mr Child in approving development applications, and will continue to provide advice and support as they review their records for these sites.”
The EPA said part of Child’s consulting role was to test potential development sites and then make environmental assessments for clients as part of development applications to local councils.
The regulator alleged some of the reports issued by N G Child & Associates may have contained sampling data purported to have been produced by accredited commercial laboratories but the analysis work had not been completed by those laboratories.
“The reports containing the alleged falsified sampling data [were] then supplied to various clients and councils, often as part of development applications,” it said.
The EPA said it was tipped off by a laboratory manager after an EPA-accredited site auditor raised concerns with the laboratory about the validity of sampling results contained within a report prepared by N G Child & Associates.
“This led to the EPA doing further investigations into other reports completed by N G Child & Associates,” a spokesperson said.
The EPA said it had seized 10,000 pieces of data and reviewed 2,460 files.
Preliminary assessments had been undertaken on prioritised sites where allegedly falsified sampling data had been identified and no “immediate concerns have been identified that people living on, or using these sites, are likely to be exposed to contamination”.
“Following a review of all available data, the EPA confirms that there are no immediate risks to public health and safety,” a spokesperson said.
“The analysis revealed no history of contamination or exposure pathways that could affect people’s health.”
The EPA said Friday’s announcement was not related to the asbestos-contaminated mulch scandal that affected NSW earlier this year.
It follows separate reporting by Guardian Australia that revealed some of the biggest waste companies in the state had asked private laboratories to repeatedly retest samples of recycled soil products found to be contaminated until they achieved a compliant result.
A spokesperson for Hornsby Shire council confirmed it had been contacted by the EPA and said it was reviewing the information “to consider any required next steps”.
“The EPA has advised that to date, no immediate risks to public health and safety have been identified and that it will provide support and guidance in relation to this issue,” they said.
Canada Bay council said it had been advised it had two affected sites. “We will investigate the matter and continue to liaise closely with the EPA,” a spokesperson said.
Darriea Turley, the president of Local Government NSW, the peak body for councils, said the allegations were serious and that it would be watching the investigation closely.
“While the NSW EPA has noted that no immediate risks to public health and safety have been identified, LGNSW welcomes the EPA working closely to support councils as they consider next steps, including further assessments of the affected sites,” he said.
Child was contacted for comment.
