Workplace cancer spike shows need for asbestos screening directive

The danger of the European Commission's decision to delay action to protect workers from asbestos is highlighted today by new data showing cases of asbestos-related cancer are rising.

Eurostat figures published today show 1,409 people were diagnosed with work-related mesothelioma, an occupational cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibres, in 2021 - a 10% increase on the previous year when 1,274 cases were diagnosed.

In 2022 the European Commission reviewed the Directive on asbestos at work and also, proposed a directive on asbestos screening, registering and monitoring. The directive was due to be adopted in June 2023 but the Commission has so far failed to deliver on its promise to better protect workers.

The directive was designed to ensure that workers were better protected during building renovations due to take place as part of the EU Green Deal, which will increase exposure to asbestos. Other workers, such as firefighters, will benefit from better protection under this Directive, as they will receive advance information about the presence of hazardous materials before responding to emergencies.

Between 4 and 7 million workers across the EU are exposed to asbestos and mesothelioma still accounts for 40% of work-related cancers. Italy recorded the highest number of deaths by mesothelioma (518) in 2021, followed by Germany (400) and France (329).

Responding to the new figures, ETUC Confederal Secretary Giulio Romani said:

"The rise in the number of working people being diagnosed with mesothelioma must be a wake-up call to the European Commission over their responsibility to continue protecting workers from asbestos.

"The Commission should stop gambling with workers' lives and deliver on the directive on asbestos screening that they promised but have now been blocking for over a year.

"The EU's own data shows that asbestos-related cancer is still a very real to people's lives today despite the progress that has been made over the last few decades thanks to better safety standards fought for by trade unions.

"That progress cannot be taken for granted. We know that the renovation wave as part of the EU's Green Deal will increase exposure to asbestos and that puts a responsibility on the EU to ensure that workers carrying out the programme are properly protected."