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Most people know that asbestos is dangerous. But few people know that they themselves could be affected.
In 1990, asbestos was banned in Switzerland. Since then, it has no longer been permitted to use asbestos in construction. The number of deaths should therefore actually be falling. But the opposite is the case: the number of deaths is rising, most recently reaching 170 in 2021. This is shown by the latest figures from the Swiss Accident Insurance Fund Suva.
According to Suva, almost 3,000 workers have died from an asbestos-related occupational disease since 1939. The development over the past ten years has been particularly dramatic: the number of deaths is increasing in occupations in wood processing, construction, and the energy sector. Those affected include electricians, demolition contractors, floor and tiler fitters, painters and plasterers, and kitchen carpenters.
Lack of awareness
Almost every second asbestos-related death now occurs in the construction industry.
What are the reasons for this dramatic increase? Martin Gschwind, an expert in health protection at Suva, suspects that it is due to a lack of awareness of the issue. Too few people realize that asbestos was used in practically every building constructed before the asbestos ban in 1990.
Asbestos is everywhere
Asbestos can be hidden anywhere: in the bathroom as tile adhesive under a tiled floor, in window putty between wooden frames and glass, as adhesive under parquet and Novilon floors or in the plastering of walls.
As long as nothing is changed, built-in asbestos is harmless to residents of apartments and houses. But as soon as interventions are made in the building structure, there is a risk that asbestos fibers will be released. This applies to craftsmen, but also to do-it-yourselfers.
Because more and more houses and apartments that were built before 1990 are being renovated – not least due to climate renovations – Suva is expecting more people to develop mesothelioma, i.e. asbestos-related breast and peritoneal cancer. Around three quarters of the buildings in Switzerland were built before 1990.
The lack of awareness of the danger posed by asbestos is also evident in construction site inspections. Suva carries out a total of around 20,000 checks per year. Around 3,000 of these inspections focus on asbestos. In half of the cases, Suva inspectors find a violation. Then they order a construction stop.
But Suva only knows about those construction sites where a building permit procedure is taking place. If work is carried out inside the house, no permit is required.
Identify pollutants
The correct thing to do would be to carry out a building pollutant assessment from the outset. “If the building was built before 1990, you can take a sample of the material if it is something small,” says Martin Gschwind from Suva. “If it is a major renovation, you should bring in a building pollutant assessor for the diagnosis. That is the be-all and end-all.”
Avoid contact with asbestos
The more someone is exposed to asbestos fibers, the greater the risk of developing a fatal cancer and dying decades later. But there is no lower limit at which one could say that contact with asbestos fibers would be safe. Therefore: Any exposure to asbestos fibers should be avoided under all circumstances.