The European Commission acknowledges the seriousness of concerns over asbestos contamination in Hungary, the head of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment informed Laurie Kazan-Allen, coordinator of an international organization advocating an asbestos ban. The letter was forwarded to MTI on Thursday by Dániel Holdosi, an activist from Szombathely.
François Wakenhut was responding to an open letter written in early July by 14 international anti-asbestos occupational safety, health, and environmental protection organizations and experts to the leaders of the European Union and Hungary.
In the document, they drew attention to the gravity of the situation in Szombathely, highlighting the dangers posed by the contamination, posing a particular threat to children’s health.
In a letter written on behalf of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the director-general emphasized that it is primarily the responsibility of the competent national authorities to ensure compliance with applicable EU rules in such cases, to assess the risks, and to take the necessary protective and remediation measures.
The European Commission is confident that the national authorities will continue to act swiftly and decisively to protect public health in the affected areas,”
François Wakenhut stated.
The asbestos contamination scandal broke out the day after Hungary’s parliamentary elections, when in Vas County the head of the environmental protection department at the local government office and the mayor of Szombathely announced at an emergency press conference that, in one of the city’s single-family residential areas, on several streets of the “Oladi Plateau,” crushed stone containing asbestos had been spread years earlier. Airborne asbestos fibers are seriously harmful to health.
A residential area of detached houses in the Olad district of Szombathely. Laboratory tests confirmed the presence of hazardous asbestos in the crushed stone used for road construction, with concentrations in the samples several times higher than the health safety limit. Photo: MTI/Tamás Vasvári.
István Orbán, director general of the government office, said that, according to reports, four quarries in Burgenland, Austria, had previously been closed due to high asbestos content, and they suspect the material may have come from there.
András Nemény, mayor of Szombathely, announced that 12 kilometers of streets in that part of the city are covered with asbestos-contaminated crushed stone, and the cost of safely removing and disposing of it exceeds the city’s financial resources.
To access the force majeure fund, he appealed to both the outgoing government and the incoming government for assistance. Tibor Navracsics, the outgoing Minister of Regional Development, promised to make the fund available, and a supporting government resolution was passed, but only the local government was able to take concrete steps; to prevent dust from spreading, they began regularly watering the affected streets and even applied a layer of bitumen to some sections, while awaiting guidance from experts on exactly what steps to take.
In the following weeks, several municipalities in Vas County—including Kőszeg, Lukácsháza, Bük, and Sárvár—reported that they might also be affected; laboratory tests revealed asbestos levels exceeding the threshold in all of these locations.
In Táplánszentkereszt, the areas in front of the daycare center, kindergarten, and school were inadvertently covered with asbestos-containing material; there, too, the local government had no other option but to spray the area with calcium chloride. In Bük, the local government had the material removed at its own expense, in compliance with regulations governing hazardous materials.
In Szombathely, weekly public forums were held; construction in the area was halted due to the imposed restrictions, and heavy vehicle traffic was temporarily banned and then restricted during certain periods.
On May 21, the Hungarian prime minister held talks in Vienna with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker.
They announced that a joint Hungarian-Austrian committee would be established to investigate the situation. Péter Magyar stated that they do not yet know who is responsible—a company, a private individual, or political authorities—“but in the end, Hungary will apply the ‘polluter pays’ principle.”
Workers carry out bitumen sealing on Síp Street in Szombathely, which is contaminated with asbestos. Bitumen sealing of asbestos-contaminated streets has begun in the city’s Oladi Plateau district. Photo: MTI/Tibor Katona.
In early July, 14 international organizations and experts working in the fields of occupational safety, public health, and environmental protection—all dedicated to combating asbestos—addressed a joint open letter to the leaders of the European Union and the Hungarian government. In their letter, they drew attention to the gravity of the situation in Szombathely, highlighting the dangers that pose a particular threat to children’s health. The open letter was initiated by Dániel Holdosi, an activist from Szombathely, and was forwarded to international organizations with the help of Laurie Kazan-Allen, coordinator of the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS).
On July 23, the government spokesperson announced that the Hungarian government had decided to establish a 3 billion forint (8.2 million euros) open-ended fund to address the asbestos issue.
Aerial drone view of a residential area in Szombathely’s Olad district. Photo: MTI/Vasvári Tamás
It was announced that the material would not be removed from the streets of the Oladi Plateau, but rather that the streets would be paved over using special equipment under safe conditions. Based on the government’s decree, the remediation work will be organized by local governments with the support of government offices, and every affected local government must create an asbestos map. Szombathely has already requested bids for the removal work.
Fact
Although the European Commission has acknowledged the seriousness of the pollution and urged the Hungarian authorities to act swiftly, it has taken no further action, stressing that the matter falls within the responsibility of the Hungarian government and the relevant domestic authorities. Although the government has established the 3 billion forint open-ended asbestos fund to address the issue, the Szombathely municipal government says that no funds have been received from the program so far. The city therefore plans to continue paving the affected roads using its own funds, while it continues to await the government’s implementation guidelines and locals hope that the planned measures will indeed provide a solution.
Via MTI; Featured photo: MTI/Katona Tibor
The post EU Acknowledges Concerns Over Asbestos Contamination appeared first on Hungary Today.
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