The courts have been involved

Health Concerns: Students Exposed to Asbestos Dust

In October of last year, training exercises were still taking place at the quarry; shortly thereafter, it was closed due to asbestos.(Bild: LMS, Krone KREATIV)

Shortly before it was shut down due to asbestos contamination, the quarry in Pilgersdorf, Burgenland, was still the site of an exercise involving hundreds of participants—including 27 students. Now the public prosecutor’s office has been called in.

Buried, injured, missing: Things were hectic in Pilgersdorf last October. More than 400 people took part in a large-scale disaster response drill at the quarry. In addition to the fire department, the Samaritan Association, and the Red Cross, the rescue dog brigade and 27 students from Lower Austria were also present. For the children, it was an adventure; for the emergency responders, a successful training exercise. Two and a half months later, the same quarry was closed—due to asbestos.

Greenpeace involved the public prosecutor’s office
The matter could now have repercussions. Greenpeace has submitted a statement of facts to the public prosecutor’s office regarding “suspected criminal offenses.” The focus is on potentially responsible parties at the state and district levels, as well as the operating company.

The reason: According to the environmental organization, the authorities had been aware of the asbestos contamination in the quarry since at least 2011. Furthermore, the extraction of chrysotile (white asbestos) had already been announced and approved in the official gazette in 2014.

In October of last year, training was still taking place at the quarry; shortly thereafter, it was closed due to asbestos.(Bild: LMS, Krone KREATIV)

Inhaled dust
Not only did none of the participants wear a protective mask, even though this is posted at the entrance to the quarry, the NGO criticizes. “To practice rescue operations, students were buried in rock with high levels of asbestos or even placed on dusty conveyor belts where vast amounts of asbestos-contaminated rock had previously been crushed,” says Stefan Stadler of Greenpeace. Their clothing was also contaminated as a result, and the dust ended up in cars and indoor spaces. “The health of the many emergency responders and volunteers was put at risk,” says Stadler.

State: No Risk Was Known
State officials vehemently reject this account: At the time of the exercise, the quarry had all valid permits, and there were no indications of a hazardous situation. It was not until a month after the exercise that rock samples were taken during routine inspections. These involved an analysis of the deep rock layers.

Once the results of these samples were available, the quarry was immediately closed. “The authorities acted immediately and absolutely correctly for safety reasons,” they emphasize.

Alarm among those affected
The state now accuses the environmental organization of causing alarm and uncertainty among the ranks of the fire department and other emergency response organizations with its “misinformation.” For this reason, a correction was issued immediately.

Allegation of defamation
The office of Provincial Councilor Heinrich Dorner states that they are calmly awaiting the presentation of the facts but view the NGO’s actions with great dismay. In any case, they reserve the right to file a complaint against Greenpeace for defamation if necessary. The operators are also considering similar action.