Asbestos cancer increases in the European Union
- According to Eurostat, between 2013 and 2021, 13,530 cases were registered in the European Union. In theory, the use of asbestos was banned in 2005, but symptoms of mesothelioma do not appear until decades later. More than 700 people have died from asbestos in the CAV, and although there are no specific data on fatalities in Navarre, it is estimated that this issue has affected more than 3,200 workers.
In the European Union, 13,530 cases of mesotheliomas related to paid work were found between 2013 and 2021, according to Eurostat data. This disease, along with lung cancer, is the main work-related disease. Regarding the second, in the same period, there were 13,944 cases of fraud in the European Union, 414 more than in the case of mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma is an asbestos cancer. It used to be common to use asbestos in the construction of soils, roofs and roofs, but nowadays, in theory, this substance is prohibited.
Italy, Germany, France and the Spanish State, the countries with the most cases
The use of asbestos in the European Union was banned in 2005, but symptoms of mesothelioma are not detected until after decades. Thus, hundreds of cases are identified each year, in some cases two decades after contact with asbestos occurred.
In 2021, for example, 2,380 people died from mesothelioma in the European Union. Italy, Germany, the French State, the Spanish State and the Netherlands led the ranking. In particular, 518, 400, 329, 212 and 173 workers lost their lives in those countries due to cancer caused by asbestos.
More than 700 people die in Álava, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa
According to the Association of Asbestos Victims of the Basque Country (ASVIAMIE), at least 768 workers have died in the CAV from asbestos. The workers of the company CAF in Beasain (Gipuzkoa), in particular, have been the most affected by the strike. 56 CAF workers have died of dismantling trains on which they travelled after being in contact with asbestos. In addition, the partners of the three workers have also lost their lives due to cancer caused by asbestos, having long been in contact with the workers' clothing.
Although there is no specific data from Navarre, the estimates made last year indicated a figure of around 3,200 workers affected by asbestos. These are the workers listed in the Public and Occupational Health Register of Navarra, but they are actually more. It appears that there are 6,370,000 square metres of uralites containing asbestos throughout Navarre, as well as 566 kilometres of pipelines, according to the Foral Police.
Fortunately, most industrial companies start to understand, after the many convictions, that a small exposure to asbestos fibres, without adequate respiratory protection, is sufficient to cause a serious lung disease that causes ten times more deaths than accidents at work, even... [+]
