Making Progress in Catalonia
On May 7, 2024, Catalonia’s Government (Generalitat de Catalunya) approved draft legislation to address the deadly, long-tail asbestos legacy throughout the region. According to research undertaken by the authorities, only two of Catalonia’s 947 municipalities do not have an asbestos problem.1 The Asbestos Eradication Bill, when it’s finally ratified by Parliament, will facilitate a timely and safe removal of asbestos from buildings and facilities. The European Union timeline recommends that asbestos be removed from public buildings before 2028 and from elsewhere in the EU by 2032.2
In Catalonia, it’s estimated that there are ~4 million tonnes of asbestos-cement and between 6 and 30,000 tonnes of other asbestos-containing materials. Although the use, production and marketing of asbestos were banned in 2001, much of the toxic material remains. These products, most of which were put in place between the 1960s and late 1980s, have reached or are approaching the end of their useful lives. “For this reason,” the draft bill pointed out “the Commission for the Eradication of Asbestos in Catalonia, through the National Plan for the Eradication of Asbestos, agreed to promote the development of the regulatory framework necessary to order the safe management of the asbestos problem and speed up its removal as soon as possible.”3
As well as prioritizing coordinated action by all public administrations in Catalonia, the draft law addressed multiple aspects of the region’s toxic legacy, including “the harmful effects it [asbestos exposure] has on the health of people, animals and the environment.” Provisions of the bill, which had been promoted by the Executive branch of Government, called for measures to: “facilitate the location of materials containing asbestos; guarantee the safety and health of the people who manage removal work as well as members of the public; and ensure adequate care for people with health problems resulting from exposure to asbestos.”4 It is noteworthy that amongst the provisions of the new legal framework are measures to build medical capacity, improve access to healthcare and ensure support for people suffering from asbestos-related diseases.
In a statement released on May 7, 2024, Catalonia’s President Pere Aragonès acknowledged “the commitment and involvement of civic and social entities, neighborhood associations, local governments and social agents, and various departments of the Government of Catalonia” which had led to the adoption of this landmark bill. One can but hope that the coalition of stakeholders praised by the President will continue to press for much-needed change; the sooner The Asbestos Eradication Bill becomes law, the better!
May 10, 2024
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1 Més de 120.000 teulades d'edificis a Catalunya porten amianto [More than 120,000 roofs of buildings in Catalonia carry asbestos]. April 29, 2024.
https://www.rtve.es/television/20240429/mes-120000-teulades-dedificis-a-catalunya-porten-amiant/16081997.shtml
2 Neither La Nau (Tarragona) nor Caldes d'Estrac (Maresme) have any buildings which contain asbestos.
S’aprova el Projecte de llei per a l'erradicació de l'amiant [The Asbestos Eradication Bill is approved]. May 7, 2024.
https://web.gencat.cat/ca/actualitat/detall/Saprova-el-Projecte-de-llei-per-a-lerradicacio-de-lamiant
3 Nota de premsa: El Govern aprova el Projecte de llei per a l'erradicació de l'amiant a Catalunya [Press release: The Government approves the Bill for the eradication of asbestos in Catalonia]. May 7, 2024.
https://govern.cat/salapremsa/notes-premsa/605922/govern-aprova-projecte-llei-lerradicacio-lamiant-catalunya
4 Més de 120.000 teulades d'edificis a Catalunya porten amianto [More than 120,000 roofs of buildings in Catalonia carry asbestos]. April 29, 2024.
https://www.rtve.es/television/20240429/mes-120000-teulades-dedificis-a-catalunya-porten-amiant/16081997.s
