The European Commission proposed on Wednesday to reduce the asbestos exposure limit in the workplace to a value ten times lower than the current one.
The new value, which will have to be validated by the European Parliament and Member States, would be 0.01 fibre per cubic centimetre (f/cm³), “in accordance with the latest scientific and technological developments.”
An extremely dangerous carcinogenic substance still present in many of the 220 million buildings prior to its ban in 2005, asbestos is responsible for 78% of cancers recognised in the European Union as being of occupational origin, according to the European executive.
The Commission is also launching consultations on the recognition of new asbestos-related ailments as occupational diseases.
It has invited the 27 Member States to draw up national asbestos removal strategies and proposes the introduction of digital logbooks for buildings, in order to improve the sharing of construction data, from building design to demolition.
