De Rossa: Govt record on asbestos protection abysmal
Labour MEP Proinsias De Rossa told Members of the European Parliament this evening that as many as one in seven Dubliners may show signs of lung damage caused by asbestos poisoning.
Mr De Rossa was speaking in the EP debate on European asbestos legislation in which he called for a major overhaul of existing directives and in which he also condemned the Government's failure to implement these laws in full.
He said: "Exposure to asbestos continues to be a major problem in many western countries, killing up to 30,000 people a year.
"Although exposure levels to asbestos peaked in the 1970s, it takes years for many asbestos-related cancers to emerge.
"Based on medical advice, it appears as if there will be a steady rise in the frequency of asbestos-linked cancers in Dublin and elsewhere across Europe until 2020."
Mr De Rossa said the European Union must now carry out a major overhaul of its anti-asbestos legislation, some of which hasn't been revised for almost twenty years.
He has called on Junior Minister for Labour Affairs, Frank Fahey, to endorse the amendments put forward by the European Parliament encouraging Ireland and other European countries to take further measures against 'low-level' exposure, to introduce effective sanctions and penalties against companies and organisations that breach European anti-asbestos laws, and to guarantee regular breaks for workers removing asbestos when these come up for discussion at the Employment Council.
