ALMOST every government primary and high school in the Hunter has asbestos inside the walls.
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A Herald investigation of the NSW Education Department's new asbestos register has found 97 per cent of the region's schools contain either what is presumed to be asbestos or at least one of three different types of the material.
Asbestos is not dangerous until it is disturbed, and all of the 13,120 reports of asbestos in Hunter schools were found to be in good condition and deemed "low risk" by the Education Department.
Any asbestos that had deteriorated and was considered dangerous was removed when the register was created.
Inhaling asbestos fibres, especially in a regular working environment, leads to a high risk of lung disease, including mesothelioma, a deadly form of lung cancer.
Francis Greenway High School in Beresfield, built in 1967, had the greatest number of asbestos listings in the Hunter, with 271 places in the school where it was either presumed to be located or found.
Almost all TAFE campuses in the Hunter contained asbestos. Kurri Kurri Campus had 446 locations of presumed asbestos.
The Education Department announced the completion of its asbestos register in October but only uploaded individual school data onto its website in December following pressure from the Opposition.
Director-General Michael Coutts-Trotter estimated in October that 60 to 70 per cent of the 301 Hunter and Central Coast schools would contain asbestos.
However, of the 220 Hunter schools investigated by The Herald 97 per cent, or 214, had some form of asbestos.
Opposition Education spokeswoman Robyn Parker said all parents should receive the complete survey of their school.
"The public has a right to know what schools were the worst affected and what action has been taken to rectify the situation," she said.
The Education Department said the vast majority of materials containing asbestos were safe.
The register is at www.det.nsw.gov.au.