On the occasion of World Cancer Day, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) calls on European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, to honor her commitments and speed up adoption of the directive to strengthen the detection, recording and monitoring of asbestos in buildings. The text was originally scheduled for the second quarter of 2023.<\/p>\n
Although the mineral has been banned in the European Union since 2005, “millions of people are still exposed daily, often unknowingly, to potentially lethal asbestos fibers”, warns Giulio Romani, Confederal Secretary of the ETUC. Although the European Commission has already adopted stricter exposure thresholds, he stresses that more can be done to prevent asbestos-related occupational cancers.<\/p>\n
Recent figures illustrate the scale of the health problem. Last September, Eurostat revealed that mesothelioma, a cancer directly linked to asbestos, continues to claim hundreds of victims every year. In 2021,1,409 new cases were recorded in Europe, a figure that has remained stable for eight years. According to the European Commission, between 4 and 7 million workers remain exposed to asbestos, which is responsible for 40% of occupational cancers in the EU.<\/p>\n