Better protection of workers from asbestos: Commission welcomes political agreement to revise EU rules

The Commission welcomes the political agreement reached today between the European Parliament and Member States on the Commission's proposal to update the EU Directive on asbestos at work. This marks an important step towards better protecting workers from the risks of exposure to asbestos. It is part of the Commission's comprehensive approach to better protect people and the environment from asbestos and ensure an asbestos-free future.  

Asbestos is a highly dangerous, cancer-causing substance that is still present in many of our buildings and is responsible for many avoidable deaths in the EU. Under the political agreement and in line with the latest scientific evidence, the new rules will ensure that no worker is exposed to a concentration of more than 0.01 asbestos fibres per cubic centimetre (f/cm³) during a transitional period. This is ten times lower than the previous exposure limit.