Burgenland asbestos debate draws 170 as quarry decision nears

About 170 people attended an ORF discussion on asbestos in Großpetersdorf on Wednesday, as operators called for a prompt decision on four quarries closed over contamination concerns, ORF reported.

The quarries in Rumpersdorf, Badersdorf, Bernstein and Pilgersdorf have been closed by authorities since January. Frank Eichhorn, manager of the Pilgersdorf quarry, said operators had been left uncertain for nine months. Andreas Tremmel, a lawyer on the state’s asbestos task force, said a decision would come soon and blamed gaps in legislation for the delay.

The Oberwart district authority, which is responsible for the quarries, declined to send a representative to the discussion at the Wurglits inn. Participants also discussed asbestos-bearing material found outside the quarries.

Stefan Stadler of Greenpeace called on the state to create a map marking all asbestos findings. He said Vienna and Lower Austria had maps of such locations, which could help alert workers to potential exposure during construction work.

Tremmel said the authorities recorded suspected cases, but a suspected location was not necessarily a confirmed problem site. He added that officials had to follow legal requirements for taking samples, and could not rely on results from privately submitted stones when the sampling location and person were unknown.

Audience members asked what to do about material such as gravel outside their homes and whether residents near the quarries faced health risks. Environmental physician Hans-Peter Hutter, head of the state task force, said the risk was “not zero” but rejected the idea that the situation meant “half of Burgenland” would be wiped out. He said rock should be removed preventively and properly where it was being crushed.