Seven more sites across NSW have been confirmed as contaminated with asbestos, including a children’s hospital and a fire station.

One sample contained potentially dangerous friable asbestos, while the more benign bonded asbestos was also found in mulch at sites in Sydney’s inner west and on the southwestern fringes.

A total of 54 sites have been confirmed as being impacted, while 801 tests have come back negative since bonded asbestos was detected in recycled mulch at the inner-city Rozelle Parklands in January.

The ongoing investigation into asbestos-contaminated mulch returned positive results for seven sites in the past day, the NSW Environmental Protection Agency said in a statement on Thursday.

A garden bed along the Rozelle Interchange, located between Callan St and Springside St at the Iron Cove Bridge, tested positive to friable asbestos.

The site has been fenced off and the removal of mulch has begun.

Bonded asbestos was also found at a construction site at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

The site has been fenced off and has no public access.

Jubilee Park and Bicentennial Park in inner-city Glebe, as well as Observatory Hill Park in Millers Point, all returned positive results for bonded asbestos.

Further west, Oran Park fire station and Mont Saint Quentin oval in Bardia also tested positive.

All affected areas have been fenced off with signs installed.

Precautionary testing is under way at a number of sites across NSW, including on the south coast, Central Coast and in the central-west and Hilltops region.

Premier Chris Minns said the contaminated mulch containing asbestos fragments was likely to be 12 to 18 months old.

“But asbestos in the community has been a massive issue,” he told KISS FM on Thursday.

“I think NSW or Australia use more asbestos in building products than anywhere else in the world.”

Sydney’s asbestos-mulch issue has also spread to Canberra with the potentially contaminated product sold for 11 months in the capital.

An expert task force is assisting the EPA with identifying the spread of the contaminated mulch.

– AAP