Toxic Cycle from Austria: First Asbestos, Now Bitumen to Pave It Over 2026

The asphalt paving work in the Olad district of Szombathely is being carried out using specialized machinery from the Austrian company BITUBAU

In the western Hungarian city of Szombathely, work has begun to seal off hundreds of metric tons of carcinogenic asbestos gravel. The project is costing billions of forints, plunging the municipality into financial distress—and carries an almost cynical cross-border twist: The bitumen used for damage control comes from the very same country as the toxic waste that was previously imported.

It is a farce with serious health consequences currently unfolding in the Hungarian border region. After months of uncertainty about how Szombathely would deal with the contamination of entire city blocks, construction machinery has been rolling since this week. In the Olad district, asbestos-contaminated gravel is being buried under a layer of bitumen. The contracted construction company, Alpok Terra Kft., plans to pave approximately 6,000 square meters per day.

On site, observers are presented with a scene of remarkable absurdity: On Wednesday, a photojournalist from the MTI news agency documented specialized machinery from the Austrian company BITUBAU, operated by German-speaking skilled workers. Upon inquiry at city hall, the background was confirmed:

The Hungarian general contractor is not only relying on Austrian expertise, but the bitumen being used is also shipped directly from Austria.

This brings us full circle in a grotesque way. For years, an estimated 216,000 metric tons of highly toxic, asbestos-containing crushed rock from Austria crossed the border to be distributed as road-building material in municipalities in western Hungary. Now, the Austrian building materials and specialty machinery industries is once again profiting by covering up the dangerous legacy of its own gravel exports with bitumen. Austria supplied the problem—and is now, for a hefty sum, supplying the bituminous blanket of silence right behind it.

Paving work in the Olad neighborhood of Szombathely. Photo: Tibor Katona/MTI

The scale of the scandal is enormous. What began as a problem affecting 21 streets in a single-family home development has escalated into a widespread environmental disaster: the carcinogenic material has been detected at 110 additional locations within the city limits—primarily in public parking lots and on municipal roadways.

Work began on Wednesday on Pázmány Péter Ring Road. According to the contract, the contractor has 60 days to complete the work.

For now, the Hungarian municipality is footing the bill. The paving of the 110 inner-city zones alone will cost a gross total of 540.2 million forint (1.5 million euros); the total cost to the city is expected to exceed 1.6 billion forint (4.4 million euros). The contracting process turned into a test of patience. After the original winner of the tender withdrew at the last minute, a replacement contractor had to be found quickly, with Alpok Terra Kft. eventually taking over the entire project.

In a parking lot on Pázmány-Péter Ring Road in Szombathely, the asphalt paving of the asbestos-contaminated section of road is being completed. Photo: Tibor Katona/MTI

To defuse the situation, Budapest set up a relief fund of three billion forints (8.2 million euros). County seats such as Szombathely can claim up to 70 percent of the costs, while smaller municipalities can claim up to 90 percent.

But the bureaucracy surrounding the funding program contains yet another bitter irony:

According to the funding guidelines, only municipalities that can demonstrate, via an accredited laboratory report, an acute airborne fiber concentration of at least 1,000 fibers/m³ are eligible to apply.

Towns that acted quickly to protect citizens’ immediate health by binding the asbestos-contaminated gravel with calcium chloride as a precautionary measure thereby temporarily reduced fiber levels below the threshold. The absurd consequence: They are completely excluded from state funding and are left to bear the remediation costs—even though the toxic material still lies in their streets.

In a parking lot on Pázmány-Péter Ring Road in Szombathely, the asphalt paving of the asbestos-contaminated section of the road is being completed. Photo: Tibor Katona/MTI

For Szombathely, the crisis represents an existential ordeal. The city must initially bridge-finance the millions through overdraft facilities. The city council has already warned that the required local contribution, combined with the government’s solidarity tax of 4.2 billion forints (11.5 million euros), is creating a devastating hole in the city’s coffers; the budget has already had to be revised.

Furthermore, according to Mayor András Nemény, the bitumen layer is by no means a permanent solution:

It is merely a temporary cover to stop dust from being stirred up, but it does not replace the actual disposal of the hazardous waste.

The fact that even this temporary measure has its flaws was demonstrated by an intervention by Greenpeace Hungary. Following a complaint regarding inadequate occupational safety and the potential for fiber dispersion, the authorities conducted an inspection. Only two workers were caught without protective gear and fined. A bitter aftertaste remains—the cleanup is financd locally, while the cycle from Austria continues.

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Via MTI; Featured photo: Tibor Katona/MTI