MEPs must take strong line against asbestos

12.00.00am GMT Tue 12th Nov 2002

A West Midlands Euro-MP is urging her fellow parliamentarians to take a strong line against asbestos exposure limits.

Liz Lynne, a Liberal Democrat member of the European Parliament's Employment and Social Affairs Committee, is concerned by suggestions that her amendment to a new directive limiting workers exposure to asbestos, will be voted down by members of the Socialist and European People's Party groups in committee at the end of this month. Her amendment seeks to halve the exposure limits stated in the draft directive and was overwhelmingly supported by the Parliament in full plenary in April.

Liz said:

"It was suggested in the Employment Committee today we should opt for less stringent levels of exposure in order to get the directive passed quickly. But there is clear medical evidence that this amendment would significantly protect workers who are exposed to asbestos. Every year 4,500 people in Britain die of asbestos-related diseases and it is predicted that a quarter of a million people will die of these diseases in the next 35 years across Western Europe."

"The European Parliament must stand firm by its original decision. We should go for the best we can get, not just settle for second best when we might be able to achieve more."

"Liz however has welcomed the announcement that the use and production of asbestos will be banned across the EU by 2005."

"The harmful health affects of asbestos has been known for decades, and fortunately it is now banned in the UK. This is an area where the European Union has a positive role to play in standardising regulations for the benefit of public health."

"Notes to editors: Liz Lynne is ELDR Shadow Rapporteur on the Asbestos Directive in the European Parliament. The proposed new directive would simplify a 1983 directive on asbestos exposure limits, committing employers to ensure that no worker is exposed to an airborne concentration of asbestos in excess of 0.1 fibres per cm3 as as an 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA). Liz is proposing to amend this to a 4-hour TWA, effectively halving maximum exposure limits."

"When Liz's amendment was originally supported by the Parliament back in April, TUC Secretary-General John Monks described the decision as "A major step forward in protecting workers."