As it committed to do, notably with the European social partners in its ‘Action Plan against Cancer’ or the ‘Action Plan on the Pillars of Social Rights’, the Commission will present, on Wednesday 28 September, a proposal for a directive revising the 2009 directive (2009/148/EC) on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to asbestos at work.
However, contrary to the expectations of European trade unions and the European Parliament, which voted in 2021 for a resolution on the subject, the Commission, according to a provisional draft seen by EUROPE, appears to be opting for an exposure limit value equal to 0.01 fibres/cm3 (for an 8-hour time-weighted average), as countries such as France or Germany already do, and not a value of 0.001 fibres/cm3 as the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) in particular had requested. The current exposure value, set in 2003, is 0.1 fibres/cm3.
This option is considered “balanced and justified in the light of its long-term benefits in terms of reducing the health risks related to the exposure of workers to asbestos”, explains the Commission in its draft proposal. This limit of 0.01 fibres/cm3 would thus “not put a disproportionate burden on businesses in the concerned sectors, including on micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises”. Nor would it create significant job losses, whereas lowering the exposure value to 0.001 fibres/cm3 could result in excessive costs for companies, without significant gains in human lives. According to some data, a limit value of 0.001 fibres/cm3 would cost the companies concerned €100 billion.
Of all workers exposed to asbestos, 97% work in the construction sector, including related occupations such as roofing, plumbing, carpentry or flooring, the document notes. Exposure to asbestos is also present in waste management, mines and quarries, firefighting, tunnel maintenance, but also on drilling platforms or in trains and planes.
“Without EU action, it is estimated that workers exposed to asbestos will continue to face a higher risk of developing occupational cancer. Current exposure levels will lead to 884 cases of cancer attributable to occupational exposure to asbestos in the EU27 over the next 40 years and health costs of between €228 million and €438 million”, the paper says.
It is not clear that the proposal will be very well received, with some observers already finding the figures given on the numbers of occupational cancers or the costs to the health service inconsistent.
According to the ETUC, asbestos kills at least 47,000 people every year in the EU due to lung cancer and mesothelioma. EUROPE will continue to follow this story.
Link to the project: https://aeur.eu/f/39n (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)