The Basque Association of Asbestos Victims (Asviamie) considers that the European Union will end up applying, regarding occupational exposure to chemical products, a path similar to that followed with asbestos, with "increasingly stricter measures" for the substances used in the manufacture of batteries, steelmaking, the chemical industry, and the textile sector.
Last Tuesday, the European Parliament greenlit a reinforcement of the regulations to lower the exposure limits of workers to hazardous compounds used in activities such as battery production, steelmaking, the chemical industry, and textiles. In addition, the Eurochamber has supported the strengthening of protection measures when it is not possible to sufficiently reduce contact with these products.
Regarding asbestos, a European directive, already incorporated into the legislation of each member state, set the reduction to one-tenth of the binding professional exposure limit value of 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter, now standing at 0.01 fibers/cm3. Alongside this, countries are required to implement measurement systems based on more precise techniques and to comply with a set of additional preventive obligations.
The spokesperson for Asviamie, Jon García, explained to Europa Press that the community directive on asbestos, transposed into state law, sets "much stricter minimums" than those recently approved by the Eurochamber for the manufacture of batteries, steelmaking, the chemical industry, and textiles. In his view, in the case of the chemicals whose limits have just been tightened, "the movie is a bit repeated and the process that has been followed with asbestos."
In this line, he recalled that, in relation to asbestos, "first some limits were established" and, "subsequently," they were tightened "as there were people affected."
"What happened with asbestos" as a precedent
García pointed out that the products for which the maximum exposure levels have now been lowered "are still legal," while asbestos is already banned in the European Union and only safe removal and disposal work is being carried out.
However, he emphasized that the decision made this Tuesday "reminds of what happened with asbestos," when "over the years," increasingly "stricter measures" have been taken.