Hundreds of Hungarian Roads May Be Laced With Asbestos – And Europe Has No Rules to Prevent It

Hundreds of road surfaces in western Hungary may be contaminated with asbestos. Measurements have shown that more than 300 sites across three counties have been covered with aggregates containing the carcinogenic mineral. One affected area is the Oladi plateau, a suburban part of Szombathely that is currently under construction. The contamination there may have been ongoing for eight to ten years, when stones were transported from Austrian mines to the site.

Tamás Weiszburg, a geologist and former head of the mineralogy department at Eötvös Loránd University, explained to Euronews the dangers asbestos poses to the human body. "On its own, it is just a piece of rock; it is the form that matters," he said. "It is a very fine fibre that can evade the body's defence mechanisms and can therefore be a serious carcinogen. Like a snake, it enters the airflow and can travel down into the bronchi without being expelled. And because it is long, it cannot be properly ingested by phagocytes, which can lead to a permanent inflammatory state. That state can then, over time, develop into cancer."

Weiszburg described asbestos as a "slow killer." Asbestos-induced tumours can develop decades after inhalation of the mineral fibres. The main problem, he stressed, is that roads built with asbestos-containing aggregates are often neither sealed nor asphalted. In western Hungarian counties, hundreds of kilometres of roads pose no risk because they have been properly sealed. However, if those roads are ever dismantled, it will be necessary to check whether the road base contains asbestos. If it does, workers must be protected with appropriate masks throughout the works until the site is properly sealed again.

Hungarian Environment Minister László Gajdos visited the Szombathely district on Thursday – an area mainly inhabited by families with young children. The mayor of Szombathely, András Nemény, told the minister that by reducing car speeds, they have already made progress, as vehicles are less likely to kick up dust. The area is also being constantly watered.

Gajdos confirmed that three counties are affected, but that the government still does not know where the stones from Austrian mines – four of which have already been closed – were taken. "I think this issue should be discussed between ministries and a decision should be taken quickly. I will therefore submit the matter to the government on Monday," the minister said during a press conference held on site.

According to Weiszburg, the contamination may have occurred due to a lack of knowledge and a legal gap: there are currently no preventive regulations in Europe concerning natural asbestos. "It is possible for one side of the same mine to contain asbestos while the other does not. So this is not a case of deliberate environmental damage," he explained. "There is of course a legal loophole, and it is worth looking for those responsible, but it must also be understood that although it was scientifically and geologically known that some mines contained asbestos, it was neither possible nor desirable to ban mining in Austria, simply because there is no law governing this."

So far, contamination has been identified at more than 300 sites. The most affected counties are in western Hungary. In Szombathely, as well as in Sopron and Kőszeg, surfaces have been covered with gravel containing natural asbestos. The government is now playing catch-up. The minister will present the case on Monday. The roads, meanwhile, remain where they are – sealed or not, dangerous or not, depending on who drove the gravel truck and whether anyone thought to ask where the stones came from. Europe has rules for many things. Natural asbestos in roadbases is not yet one of them.

Written by Thorben Thiede