Asbestos is not only a construction problem: the risk also affects transport workers

The European topic of occupational diseases related to asbestos has direct significance for the transport sector as well.

Asbestos is often associated mainly with construction, old buildings, and repair activities. But this dangerous carcinogen has a much broader occupational scope. It also affects workers in transport — especially those who carry out maintenance, repair, dismantling, modernization, or servicing of old transport equipment, depots, repair bases, ports, ships, railway facilities, and buildings of transport infrastructure.

In a draft document of the European Commission “Updating Recommendation 2003/670/EC concerning the European List of Occupational Diseases in relation to asbestos-related diseases,” devoted to updating the list of occupational diseases related to asbestos, it is emphasized that asbestos is a major occupational carcinogen for which there is no safe level of exposure. The document also notes that, despite the ban on the use of asbestos in the EU since 2005, it continues to be found in many old buildings and materials, and the diseases caused by it may appear decades after exposure.

This means that the issue is not part of the past. It is a matter of current protection of workers, prevention, early detection of diseases, and fair recognition and compensation of those affected.

Why does asbestos affect transport?

For decades, asbestos has been used for its fire-resistant, heat-insulating, and mechanical properties. That is precisely why it has found application in sectors where there are high temperatures, friction, vibrations, heavy machinery, and the need for insulation — characteristics typical of transport.

In the transport sector, asbestos may have been present or may still be found in:

• braking systems and clutches of older vehicles;

• railcars, locomotives, trams, and repair depots;

• insulation around engines, boilers, pipes, cables, and heating systems;

• ships, engine rooms, ship pipelines, and fireproof insulation;

• old bus, railway, port, and aviation repair bases;

• buildings of stations, depots, workshops, halls, and warehouses;

• dismantling, scrapping, modernization, and renovation activities.

It is important to note that the risk is not the same for all transport workers. The highest risk is for those working in maintenance, repair, dismantling, cleaning after repair activities, recycling, shipbuilding, railway workshops, auto repair shops, and units that work with old materials or old equipment. For drivers, operators, crews, and other workers, risk may arise when working in old premises, during accidents, during repair activities, or through contact with contaminated materials.

What diseases are associated with asbestos exposure?

The World Health Organization states that all forms of asbestos are carcinogenic to humans. Exposure to asbestos causes lung cancer, laryngeal cancer, ovarian cancer, and mesothelioma, as well as chronic respiratory diseases such as asbestosis. WHO also states that occupational exposure to asbestos causes more than 200,000 deaths annually worldwide.

Occupational diseases related to asbestos include:

• asbestosis;

• mesothelioma;

• lung cancer;

• laryngeal cancer;

• ovarian cancer;

• pleural plaques with impairment of lung function;

• non-malignant pleural effusion;

• fibrotic diseases of the pleura;

• other pulmonary and pleural impairments.

The long latency period is especially concerning. Diseases may manifest 20, 30, or more years after exposure. The European Commission explicitly notes that the first signs of disease may appear 30 years or more after exposure, which means that diseases resulting from past exposures will continue to appear in the years ahead.

The European framework is being updated — this is also important for transport workers

In 2025, the European Commission updated the European List of Occupational Diseases. It added laryngeal cancer, ovarian cancer, pleural plaques with functional impairment of the lungs, and non-malignant pleural effusion as diseases caused by asbestos. The additional list also includes colon cancer, rectal cancer, and stomach cancer related to asbestos.

This development is of direct importance to transport workers because occupational risk does not depend on the label of the sector, but on actual exposure to the hazardous substance. If a transport worker has been exposed to asbestos during repair, maintenance, dismantling, work in a depot, ship, workshop, port, or old infrastructure, the disease should be considered through the prism of occupational exposure.

The EU has also taken stricter measures to limit exposure. Directive (EU) 2023/2668 introduced a significantly lower exposure limit for asbestos — 0.01 fibers per cubic centimeter as an eight-hour time-weighted average until 20 December 2029, and from 21 December 2029 even more precise requirements for measurement and control are foreseen.

Rail, road, and maritime transport: examples of real risk!

The railway sector, including metro systems, is one of the examples where the link between asbestos and occupational risk is well documented. For decades, asbestos has been used in locomotives, railcars, metro trains, braking systems, insulation, tunnel infrastructure, and repair bases. Workers in maintenance, repair, and modernization of old transport facilities and rolling stock are particularly exposed. A study among railway carriage maintenance workers in Bologna, Italy, followed a group of 2,197 men exposed to asbestos between 1960 and 1979. The study found a significant burden of asbestos-related diseases, including pleural cancer, with risk increasing over time since the start of exposure. Similar risks have also been identified among metro workers. International studies show that during the repair and modernization of older metro stations and underground infrastructure, asbestos materials and asbestos fibers can be found in the air. Workers in maintenance, repair, electrical installations, ventilation systems, and infrastructure activities in enclosed underground spaces are particularly exposed.

Maritime transport and shipbuilding are also among the historically most affected areas. In ships, asbestos was used for insulation of hulls, engine rooms, pipelines, climate systems, walls, and fire barriers. A study among shipbuilding workers in Monfalcone, Italy, found a strong link between the accumulated amount of asbestos fibers in the lungs and the risk of mesothelioma.

In road and bus transport, the risk is especially relevant for mechanics and workers who service brakes and clutches. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warns that during the repair and replacement of brakes and clutches, asbestos dust may be released when these components contain asbestos, and workers cannot determine its presence by appearance alone.

What should be done?

From the perspective of FTTU, the asbestos issue must be part of the broader policy for safe and healthy working conditions in transport. An active approach is needed that includes prevention, control, training, medical surveillance, and protection of workers' rights.

First, employers must identify potential asbestos-containing materials in transport infrastructure, rolling stock, ships, service facilities, depots, halls, and repair bases. Before repair, reconstruction, dismantling, or modernization, there must be a clear risk assessment.

Second, workers must be informed and trained. No one should be sent to work with unfamiliar old insulation, dusty materials, braking systems, pipelines, or panels without prior inspection, instructions, and protective measures.

Third, the practice of dry cleaning, blowing with compressed air, or mechanically disturbing suspicious materials without a controlled procedure must be prohibited. If asbestos is suspected, work should be carried out only with specialized methods, suitable equipment, filtration, dust containment, and personal protective equipment.

Fourth, documentation of possible exposure must be kept. This is important not only for current safety, but also for future medical monitoring and possible recognition of an occupational disease.

Fifth, the state, employers, and social partners must work for better recognition of diseases related to asbestos. The European recommendation emphasizes the role of member states, social partners, health systems, and institutions in prevention, diagnosis, statistics, and recognition of occupational diseases.

FTTU position: prevention, recognition, and protection!

Asbestos is not only a construction problem. It is also a transport problem when it affects the people who maintain, repair, modernize, and service the transport system. That is why the issue must be clearly placed on the sector’s agenda.

FTTU insists on greater awareness, better prevention, and real protection for transport workers. Where there is a risk of asbestos exposure, there must be control, training, protective measures, and medical surveillance. Where there is already disease, there must be fair recognition, support, and compensation.

Transport workers and their health cannot be put at risk by dangerous materials left over from the past. Asbestos may be banned, but its consequences are still alive. That is precisely why the response must be active, timely, and fair.

Asbestos is not the past. For many workers, it is a present risk and a future diagnosis. That is why prevention today is the strongest protection tomorrow.