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In 2023, the Government of the Generalitat approved the National Plan for the eradication of asbestos in Catalonia 2023-2032. In this way, the Catalan executive took as a reference the recommendations of the European Union to remove this material in all public buildings before 2028 and in the entire territory before 2032. “Eradicating asbestos is a challenge for the country,” he stated. the president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, during the presentation of aid for the removal of waste insulation and construction materials with asbestos, in March of last year.
Asbestos cannot be marketed in the Spanish State since 2002, but according to some studies there are still four million tons of asbestos left in Catalonia. The challenge is huge, although many steps forward have already been made and continue to be taken.
In 2019, the Commission for the Eradication of Asbestos in Catalonia (CEAC) was created, made up mainly of the departments of the Generalitat Administration most directly affected. In this legislature, the Government has incorporated into the Commission representatives of local governments (provinces, Barcelona City Council and Barcelona Metropolitan Area), trade union and business organizations (CCOO, UGT, Foment i PIMEC) and third sector entities, such as neighborhood federations and associations of those affected by asbestos.
The Commission had to address the problem surrounding asbestos from an interdepartmental workspace, and had to define and prioritize the actions to be carried out to eliminate this material in Catalonia and to address its effects on people and the environment.
These actions have been specified in the National Plan for the eradication of asbestos in Catalonia. The Plan is organized into four large blocks: the identification and location of asbestos, the actions to remove it, the prevention of effects on health and the promotion of a new Catalan and state regulatory framework that allows achieving the planned objectives. At this time, many relevant actions have already been carried out and others are very advanced.
Indeed, on the one hand, the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia (ICGC) has been commissioned to detect fiber cement roofs throughout the territory. This project has been carried out for two years, combining reconnaissance flights carried out with ICGC aerial resources with high-resolution satellite images and the use of artificial intelligence, an action that will soon make it possible to present a detailed map of these covers and of the areas with the highest concentration of asbestos. This map will constitute an essential instrument for establishing removal priorities and will allow all Catalan municipalities to have their own census of asbestos roofs. Subsequently, the census will be complemented with other locations of asbestos, such as downspouts, buried pipes, industrial use materials, etc.
In parallel, the Fund for the Eradication of Asbestos and Materials Containing Asbestos (MCA) has been established by law to continue the aid regularly granted by the Generalitat of Catalonia to promote the removal of asbestos. These aid, run by the Catalan Waste Agency, have reached a maximum amount in 2023, with a provision of 50 million euros, which especially subsidized the removal of asbestos and the installation on new photovoltaic self-consumption roofs.
Also worth highlighting, in the regulatory field, is the push for the approval of the Law for the management and removal of asbestos in Catalonia, which should provide a legal framework and reinforce the actions provided for in the National Plan. This Law is currently in the public information and hearing phase, and it is expected that it can begin to be debated in a few weeks in the Parliament of Catalonia.
In addition, different avenues have been enabled to support and advise the municipalities of Catalonia in the removal of asbestos, in addition to regularly scheduling training courses on asbestos for the staff of town halls, provincial councils and regional councils. Finally, the web portal amiant.gencat.cat has also been created as a central point of specialized information on asbestos, both with technical information and resources for professionals and with more general information for citizens.
Asbestos is a mineral that is composed of fibers that are highly resistant to friction, chemicals and heat, and is found abundantly in nature.
Between the 50s and 90s it was used in large quantities in materials such as fiber cement (cement to which asbestos fibers were added), which had very good insulating and durability properties at a low cost. It is also known as “uralita”, since it was the main commercial name.
It can be found mainly in corrugated plates on roofs, but also in the form of downspouts, water tanks, pipes, planters, or as fireproof protection for metal columns, among others.
If materials containing asbestos are in poor condition or handled, fibers may come off. Exposure to these occurs through the respiratory tract, which can become a health risk, affecting the lungs and pleura, and causing diseases such as asbestosis, mesothelioma and certain types of cancer. The development of a disease depends on both the type and characteristics of the fibers, the intensity and duration of exposure, as well as the individual characteristics of the person.
It is for all these reasons that the Generalitat of Catalonia promotes the management and removal of asbestos in the country, to avoid the occupational, environmental and health risk that it entails.
