Greenpeace says Oberwart has not removed asbestos near nursery

Greenpeace says asbestos-containing stones remain outside a childcare centre in Oberwart, despite the city being alerted earlier this year. The environmental group also found asbestos in a waist-high lamp there, ORF Burgenland reported.

A laboratory test found an asbestos content of 20 to 50 percent in a sample, Greenpeace said on Monday. The organisation said the city and the provincial government had been informed months ago that asbestos fragments were lying exposed outside the centre, but the city had not yet acted.

Greenpeace called Oberwart a district-town asbestos hotspot, saying residents had reported eight affected areas and the group had taken samples at nine locations. So far, it said, only the area outside a Hofer supermarket had been cleaned up. Gravel behind the hospital had merely been covered with sand, Greenpeace spokesperson Stefan Stadler said.

The group called on the city to close off the area outside the childcare centre and arrange remediation as soon as possible. It also said the centre should be thoroughly cleaned in case fibres had entered the building.

Oberwart said the safety of children and residents was a priority and that it took the reports seriously. Mayor Georg Rosner said the city wanted to act on the basis of reliable expert findings and avoid causing unnecessary concern. He was in contact with the relevant authorities and a task force appointed by the provincial government. The affected area consists of traffic islands in the parking lot outside the centre, which have been filled with gravel, he said.