Asbestos Troublesome Issue

Today, in western Europe, only 3.5% of buildings with asbestos have been treated. At least, it should take three centuries before getting rid of this extremely harm material. Indeed diseases linked to the inhalation of dust asbestos are spreading : pulmonary fibrosis, pleural plaques, lung cancer. According to an incubation period of 15/20 years, asbestos kills inexorably. In Europe, 20000 cases each year have been diagnosed, 100000 deaths by 2025! A study made by the Erasmus Hospital in Brussels suggests that an adult on seven European bring pulmonary asbestos signs exposure.
The main reason of this situation is the huge cost of the asbestos removal, approximately 1350 euros per ton. But others charges has to be added: building's immobilization during the operation, staff resettlement in another site, logistics reorganization, etc. For example, for a building covering an area of 10000 m2, the cost could approach 30 M T.
Even if health emergency should be the only matter, the reality is different. The decision to carry out asbestos depends mainly on each company's direction. They assess its adequacy in relation with their overall costs or other priorities. Without cash, some companies decided to exempt themselves of the work. The task is not easy! If they meet this burden, some required equal savings! Moreover, final cost is rarely established. In Europe, budget overruns 25% of the initial cost. Given these factors, real estate companies are unable to undertake the work as a whole. Through a several years plan, some companies managed directly their heritage, others outsourced the asbestos management to specialized consulting firms.
If many owners are hosted in the same building, it led to a impossibility to launch the work. For example, the Paris Tour Montparnasse is significant. 90 owners are sharing their walls: individuals, off shores companies, financial fund! How to create a "common need" while everyone has a particular situation. Could a Persian Gulf owner pay 150000 euros for its 400 m2 while in his country no law required it? The housing financial crisis brings even more uncertainties. Due to a decline of their assets, waiting for more prosperous market, the managers will be tempted to postpone asbestos removal operations.
Could the Public sector perform it better? Although action plans exist, many programs sort between emergencies while any building containing asbestos has to be treated. Obvious reason, lack of money! Governments are paralyzed as evidenced by the critical hospital public situation. Many were built in the sixties with asbestos. While the fact is known, few have been treated. So exposure to asbestos continues his work, contaminating patients and the hospital staff. In Caen hospital (France), among the employees, diseases linked to the asbestos inhalation are spreading. A 140 million euros emergency plan has been acted. While the establishment should have been closed, the activity continues. In Paris, the Sciences de l'Homme, a six-story building is full of asbestos. The government has decided to relocate their activities in the Paris suburbs, which provoked incomprehensibly the anger of the occupants even if they are expose to a risk, However, the palm of mismanagement belongs the Jussieu university. While it would have been necessary to close the building, operations were delayed along with lack of organization. Result: the work is still unfinished.
Although the sate responsibility is punished by the courts, despite the importance of the claims, apparently this is not enough to suggest a more radical policy. Meanwhile, the devastation caused by mineral fib res are continuing.
How to remedy it? Two routes should be considered. On the first hand, the reduction of the removal cost requires the implementation of other processes. The today, the plasma torch, is very expensive. Other proposals must be tested. It is important to facilitate technicals validation. Moreover, given the complexity of operations, specialized companies could shoulder the burden, organizing methodically all operations, promoting the elimination of asbestos in the shortest possible time. Instead of giving up, it is best to encourage the emergence of innovative solution, including technical. The challenge is worth it to put an end to this scourge, always persistent!
By François de la Chevalerie