WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1392/97 by Nikitas KAKLAMANIS to the Commission. The use of asbestos cement piping in the water supply network in Greece
Date: 1997-04-22
Institutions: European Parliament, KAKLAMANIS
Subjects: Greece, approximation of laws, asbestos, building materials, health risk, marketing standard, occupational health, pipeline transport, proposal (EU), water supply













EUR-Lex - 91997E1392 - EN






Avis juridique important




|



91997E1392

WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1392/97 by Nikitas KAKLAMANIS to the Commission. The use of asbestos cement piping in the water supply network in Greece  


Official Journal C 045 , 10/02/1998 P. 0027 





WRITTEN QUESTION E-1392/97 by Nikitas Kaklamanis (UPE) to the Commission (22 April 1997)Subject: The use of asbestos cement piping in the water supply network in GreeceThe EU Member States France and Denmark have eliminated asbestos cement piping for the distribution of drinking water. Research as far back as 1980 found that drinking water with corrosive properties contained up to 550 million asbestos fibres per litre.Point 6.2g in Annex I of Directive 91/659/EEC ((OJ L 363, 31.12.1991, p. 36. )) of 3 December 1991 bans the use of asbestos filters for liquids and, consequently, for liquid foodstuffs. It thereby indirectly acknowledges that asbestos fibres must not enter the human organism through the digestive tract.Does the Commission intend to examine and to implement a ban on the use of asbestos cement piping, at least as far as drinking water with corrosive properties is concerned, thereby in effect attaining the same objective for all the Member States of the Community?Answer given by Mr Bangemann on behalf of the Commission (20 June 1997)The Commission refers the Honourable Member to the answer it gave to his Written Question No E-0115/97.Asbestos cement pipes intended for drinking water supply are not included in the categories of asbestos-containing products which are banned. Such pipes do not give rise to release of significant quantities of fibres which are subsequently inhaled. Thus they are not thought to present an important risk of the diseases normally associated with asbestos, such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. The prohibition of asbestos infilters for liquids, provided by point 6.2(g) of the Annex to Commission Directive 91/659/EEC, is intended primarily to prevent exposure of maintenance workers to airborn asbestos fibres, though it does also avoid the take-up of fibres in the filtered liquid. This measure complements provisions in Directive 83/477/EEC ((OJ L 263, 24.9.1983. )) on the protection of workers from asbestos. The Commission furthermore will continue to study all possible risks associated with drinking water pipes containing asbestos as part of the work programme on asbestos.The Commission drew up, in 1993, a draft proposal for a directive to ban asbestos with exemptions. However, no qualified majority could be identified for the draft proposal. The Commission relaunched discussions on the asbestos question with Member State experts in 1996. The last meetings were on 26th July 1996 and 7th November 1996. The Commission intends to examine, as quickly as possible, all the most recent scientific, technical and economical analyses in order to review the policy with regard to asbestos.