After months of effort, negotiations, and expressions of concern about mesothelioma and other deadly diseases, members of the European Parliament have prevailed on the European Union (EU) to overhaul its asbestos policies. The new exposure limits will now match that of the Netherlands, which currently has the lowest existing limit in the EU.
EU’s New Occupational Exposure Limit Will Significantly Impact Incidence of Mesothelioma
In response to growing knowledge about asbestos’ role in the development of mesothelioma, the European Union banned the use of the toxic mineral in 2005, and some countries took action far earlier than that. But the prohibition on current and future use did not address the existence of asbestos that was already in place in the roofs, ceilings, electrical systems, and insulation of buildings constructed before the ban. With a robust renovation initiative planned for the immediate future, advocates for workplace health knew that it was time to take action.
The new rules are expected to significantly lower the incidence of mesothelioma in the future, as they change the occupational exposure limit from 0.1 to 0.01 fibers per cm3, a tenfold shift downward. The numbers will be decreased again after a maximum time period of six years, dropping to 0.002 fibers per cm3, which is the current maximum level in the Netherlands.
Trade Unions Praise New Regulations, Express Continuing Concern Over Mesothelioma
Though workers’ representatives acknowledge that the new regulations will lower mesothelioma rates in the future, they are still concerned about workers who are currently exposed, and urge people to begin acting on the new exposure limits now. Speaking to these worries, Claes-Mikael Stahl, Deputy General Secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation said, “Today’s agreement is an important step forward in ending the scandal of workplace cancer. But the long implementation period means that workers won’t benefit from the safer limit until after much of the work as part of the renovation wave has been completed.”
He went on to say, “That is why it is imperative that member states do not wait until the end of the implementation period and put the lower limit into effect as soon as possible.”
While European workers enjoy greater protections against in place asbestos, workers in the United States continue to face the risk of malignant mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases. For information on facing these diseases, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.
