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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 territory as a whole before 2032. “Eradicating asbestos is” a challenge of the country and a priority of the Government, stated the president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, during the presentation of the aid for the removal of waste insulation and construction materials with asbestos, in March of last year.
Asbestos cannot be sold in Spain since 2002, but according to some studies, there are still 4 million tons of asbestos in Catalonia. The challenge is huge, although many steps forward have already been made and are still being made.
In 2019, the Commission for the Eradication of Asbestos in Catalonia (CEAC) was created, mainly made up of the departments of the Generalitat Administration most directly affected. In this legislature, the Government has incorporated representatives of local governments (deputations, Barcelona City Council and Barcelona Metropolitan Area), trade union and business organizations (CCOO, UGT, Foment and PIMEC) and third sector entities into the Commission. such as neighborhood federations and associations of those affected by asbestos.
The Commission had to address the problems surrounding asbestos from an interdepartmental working space, and had to define and prioritize the actions to be taken to eliminate this material in Catalonia and to deal with its effects on people and the natural environment.
These actions have been specified in the National Plan for the eradication of asbestos in Catalonia. The Plan is organized into four main blocks: the identification and location of asbestos, the actions to remove it, the prevention of the effects on health and the promotion of a new Catalan and state regulatory framework that allows achieving the intended goals. By now, many relevant actions have already been carried out and others are well advanced.
Indeed, on the one hand, the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia (ICGC) has been tasked with the detection of fiber cement roofs throughout the territory. This project has been carried out for two years, combining the reconnaissance flights made with the ICGC’s aerial means with high-resolution satellite images and the use of artificial intelligence, an action that soon it will allow to present a detailed map of these roofs and the areas with a higher 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. Later, the census will be supplemented with other locations of asbestos, such as downspouts, buried pipes, materials for industrial use, etc.
At the same time, the Fund for the Eradication of Asbestos and Materials Containing Asbestos (MCA) has been established by law, in order to continue the aid that the Generalitat de Catalunya regularly grants to encourage the removal of asbestos These grants, in charge of the Waste Agency of Catalonia, have reached a maximum amount in 2023, with an allocation of 50 million euros, which particularly subsidized the removal of asbestos and the installation on the new roofs of photovoltaic self-consumption.
It is also worth highlighting, in the regulatory field, the push for the approval of the Law for the management and removal of asbestos from Catalonia, which must provide a legal framework and strengthen the actions foreseen in the Plan national This Law is currently in the public information and hearing phase, and it is expected that debate can begin in a few weeks in the Parliament of Catalonia.
In addition, different ways 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 city councils, provincial councils and county 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 very resistant to friction, chemicals and heat, and that is found abundantly in nature.
Between the 1950s and 1990s, it was used in large quantities in materials such as fiber cement (cement to which asbestos fibers were added), which had very good insulating properties and durability at a low cost. It is also known as “uralite”, as it was the main commercial name.
It can be found, mainly, in corrugated sheets on roofs, but also in the form of downspouts, water tanks, pipes, planters, or as fireproof protection for metal columns, among others.
If asbestos-containing materials are in poor condition or handled, they can release fibers. 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 both on the type and characteristics of the fibers, as well as on the intensity and duration of the exposure, as well as on the individual characteristics of the person.
It is for all these reasons that the Generalitat de Catalunya promotes the management and removal of asbestos in the country, to avoid the occupational, environmental and health risks it poses.
