Bags for for asbestos are pictured during a renovation of an appartment in Berlin on Aug 9, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

SYDNEY- The presence of bonded asbestos was found in mulch at two more schools in Sydney as testing continued across the city, the New South Wales (NSW) Environment Protection Authority (EPA) confirmed on Sunday.

Penrith Christian School advised that a single pile of mulch, which was not accessible to students, had been secured and removal was being arranged, according to a statement from the EPA.

St Luke's Catholic College has advised it would be closing for one week while the mulch is removed

St Luke's Catholic College has advised it would be closing for one week while the mulch is removed, the statement said.

These new detections of bonded asbestos take the total number of positive sites to 34, the EPA said, adding that the NSW Ministry of Health advises bonded asbestos is low-risk to the community.

"As of 6 pm yesterday, 662 tests have returned negative results since January 10," the statement said.

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Asbestos was discovered in many public spaces across Sydney over the past few months. Breathing in asbestos fibers, as the NSW Ministry of Health noted, can cause asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.