Behind the Times

Has EU expansion come too late for some?

While not everyone may love the European Union (EU), some within Central and Eastern Europe nevertheless concede that there are some benefits. In particular, strict environmental and consumer laws governing how products are sold and labelled have the advantage of forcing countries planning to join the EU to raise their standards.

Until now, it has been more or less a free-for-all in the post-communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe, as corporations have been able to dump faulty and dangerous products on societies obsessed with conspicuous consumerism. In some cases, industrial products and practices which have been abandoned in western Europe have continued to flourish unabated in the east.

A prime example of this is the use of asbestos. Asbestos is the generic name given to a collection of silicate minerals that occur in nature as resilient, flexible, nonconductive fibers. Asbestos fibers are highly resistant to heat and chemicals making them ideal for use in many industries -- most significantly in the construction, shipbuilding and automotive industries. An estimated 5,000 products contain (or have contained) asbestos fibers.

The New England Journal of Medicine confirms that all forms of asbestos are carcinogenic. In fact, it has been branded as the leading cause of occupational cancer. The inhalation of asbestos dust, regardless of the duration and level of exposure, is linked to serious health complications. Asbestos causes asbestosis, an irreversible and often fatal lung disease, and can (after a latent period of 20 years or more) cause various cancers, especially lung cancer and mesothelioma. The EU reports that "no threshold level of exposure has yet been identified below which chrysotile asbestos does not pose carcinogenic risks."

Recently, the mainstream media in Hungary announced new regulations on the use of asbestos. From January next year, it will no longer be possible to produce or import into the country construction material containing asbestos. By 2005 the Environment ministry will forbid the remaining stocks of such products to be sold or used.

Media reports on the new regulation also made passing mention of the fact that the inhalation of asbestos dust can lead to serious illness, even death. What was left out was the fact that the use of asbestos has already been banned in most western Europe countries for a number of years now.

For over a decade Europe has been weaning itself off the use of asbestos. In 1991, the EU placed a permanent ban on five types of asbestos. It wasn't until July 26, 1999, however, which marked the final end to the widespread use of the material. Then, an amended directive on hazardous substances and preparations placed a complete ban on the marketing and use of chrysotile asbestos, or "white" asbestos, throughout the member states of the EU. White asbestos accounts for approximately 95 percent of the asbestos mined worldwide and is used primarily in cement pipes and roofing, brake and clutch linings, friction products, seals and gaskets.

Although the directive is to come into full force only on January 1, 2005, most EU countries have already instituted a ban. Indeed, France had banned the import of virtually all asbestos products as early as 1996. Only Ireland, Luxembourg, Greece, Portugal, and Spain have yet to ban the use asbestos.

In Hungary, it's estimated that 150 square kilometers of roof space is made of asbestos based construction materials. Over 60,000 live in asbestos insulated houses. For years residents and environmental groups have tried to get the authorities to forbid the use of asbestos based construction materials.

The government had plans to introduce measures restricting the use of asbestos in July. However because of pressure from Canada, which is the world's top exporter of chrysotile asbestos, as well domestic importers and the construction industry, the date was moved to the last possible alternative available: the date Hungary enters the EU. Even if the government wished to extend the use asbestos further, it's highly unlikely that Brussels would have allowed Budapest to do so -- or would have kept Hungary out of the EU altogether.

Even so, the present regulation is only a half victory of sorts since a complete ban hasn't been imposed. It will still be another year and a half when asbestos based materials are no longer allowed to be used in Hungary. In addition to this, there is no plan of what to do with the tonnes of asbestos already in place, some of which is in public and government buildings, including schools and hospitals.

To be fair, this is a problem that is being faced by all member states of the EU. Although the EU directive governing the use of asbestos prohibits use of the material within the EU after 2005, it doesn't address the question of what to do with what already exists as the ban doesn't require the removal of asbestos from buildings.

To this extent, the only action done by the Hungarian government so far is to warn people not to dismantle existing structures containing asbestos based material. While not saying that such buildings may be hazardous to health, the government has acknowledged that buildings with asbestos roofs or asbestos insulation are dangerous if asbestos dust becomes airborne. As a result, homeowners are urged to have professionals remove such material when renovation is being done.

Still, there is no long-term plan of what to do with all the asbestos that has been built into thousands of homes throughout the country -- and which will no doubt still be built into homes for the next year and a half. Thousands of people are at risk of asbestos related diseases and cancer as fire and natural disasters will no doubt release some asbestos dust which presently lies dormant on roofs and inside walls.

What is most distressing about the situation is not only that the government has allowed big business to continue and dump its hazardous products within the country for so long, but that no connection has been made to the populations' overall poor state of health and the existence and widespread use of dangerous materials such as asbestos. Hungary has one of the worst health rates in the developed world; in fact, some statistics are comparable to that of Third World countries. For example, in terms of life expectancy half of all Hungarian males between the ages of 30 and 60 won't make it to retirement. Asthma and allergies among children, meanwhile, are near epidemic proportions.

As the health of the general population continues to deteriorate, coupled with the an increasingly aging population, the Hungarian government will find the difficult task of funding public health-care near impossible. The proposal now put forward to completely privatise the sector is not a solution, as this will mean only those who can afford it will get the proper treatment they need. The rest are condemned to live out the rest of their sick lives in an environment full of asbestos and other dangerous materials.