If the building you live in was built more than three decades ago, it is very likely that it contains asbestos, a material that is very dangerous to health. Asbestos was considered a miraculous component in the construction sector during the 20th century due to its properties and low price. The enemy is inside the house. It is not possible to know in detail how many residential buildings there are asbestos, since there is no official census. Only town councils are obliged to keep a register of their public properties, but the truth is that not all of them have done so, much less in an exhaustive manner. “It is estimated that between 30% and 40% of buildings in Spain have materials with asbestos in some of their parts, although practically the majority of buildings exist before the 1980s,” estimates Adolfo García Alonso, manager of dMol. , a company authorized for the management and removal of asbestos that carries out more than a hundred interventions a year. Spaniards live among hundreds of thousands of tons of asbestos, a material that can cause lung, larynx and ovarian cancer, mesothelioma (cancer of the pleura or peritoneum) and pulmonary fibrosis, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition, it is responsible for 88,000 deaths annually in Europe, according to the Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (Separ). It is easy to recognize it in the corrugated fiber cement roofs that crown many buildings. Covers that, on some occasions, have been manipulated to install television antennas or boiler outlets. “As a general rule, when it is not tiles or metal sheets, it is uralite with asbestos. It looks like cement and over time it tends to get stains in gray or white tones,” explains García Alonso. These were the uralite roofs of 116 communities of owners in the Meseta de Orcasitas neighborhood, in Madrid. The removal of these covers, after years of struggle by their neighbors, began in 2020. The toxic material was used in countless elements: downspouts, water tanks, vertical walls, boiler joints, vinyl floors… “It was incorporated in constructions from the 60s to the 90s. It has accompanied us in many elements of our homes thanks to its resistance, ability to withstand high temperatures and insulating properties,» says Laureano Matas, general secretary of the Superior Council of the Colleges of Architects of Spain (CSCAE). And so it was until Spain banned its manufacture and marketing in 2002. The problem is that the footprint of asbestos continues to be long and dangerous. And, for this reason, the European Union has established a plan to eliminate it completely: in public buildings in 2028 and for the rest of buildings (homes, industrial warehouses…) before 2032. However, «at the current pace, Spain has a difficult time reach those dates with all of the affected properties free of asbestos,” considers Matas. Especially if one looks at the communities of owners, who are not obliged to remove the asbestos already present in their buildings. Although the regulations include exceptions: except if the installation is after 2002, if it has exceeded its useful life of 30 years or if deterioration or fragility of the material is observed. As long as the asbestos remains intact “we can be safe,” reassures the general secretary of the architects. “The danger to health is its fragmentation and subsequent inhalation due to the release of fibers by the people who live in these buildings,” he adds. What happens is that in many properties the useful life of the material has already been exceeded and the neighbors do not They have taken measures, among other things because they do not know their status. What's more, «from the age of 20 onwards, defibrillation occurs when the individual is exposed to this degradation in their home,» comments Jorge Vila Lozano, a lawyer specializing in the issue. However, a material with affected asbestos is not the same. due to inclement weather and solar radiation, whose useful life is shorter than a pipe that is protected within the building. “The newest asbestos we find is 25 years old and many times it is already in a friable or fragile state. The normal thing is that we see asbestos that already has between 35 and 60 years of useful life,” indicates the dMol manager. In that case, the time has come to intervene.
Subsidies
The CSCAE recommends its removal even if there is no apparent risk or the elements are intact. Especially at the current time, in which hundreds of properties are undertaking energy rehabilitation with the financial support of the Next Generation funds, which contemplate up to a maximum of 1,000 euros per home or 12,000 euros per building to get rid of the carcinogenic substance. “The communities of owners are removing the material required by the application for subsidies, since public organizations require it to be eligible for aid,” says Enrique Fernández, Architecture advisor at the College of Property Administrators of Madrid. In the case Since there are no subsidies involved, it is rare for neighbors to assume the high cost of removing the material. It is the experience of José A. Rodríguez, technician at the IMM Gestión y Rehabilitación company, specialized in interventions in communities of owners. “In those cases, they usually make small repairs through patches or encapsulate it by illegally placing another covering on top because it is not done as the norm,” says the technician. Something that the CSCAE describes as recklessness. “There are no effective solutions to energetically rehabilitate a building while leaving the asbestos coverings hidden,” says Matas. Handling this toxic substance without taking extreme safety measures is extremely dangerous. In Spain, only companies that belong to the RERA (Registry of Companies with Asbestos Risk) can carry out this work. «The operators have specific prior training and constant refreshment, protective suits, disposable underwear, gaiters, respiratory protection equipment…», they list in dMol, a company approved by RERA. Once removed, it is placed in asbestos encapsulation bags, which prevents the fibers from being released during transport. “Asbestos can only be taken to authorized landfills and they are not easy to find. There are provinces that do not have it and force us to transport it for many kilometers, having to increase the budget,” García concludes. The average budget depends on the type of action and the surface. “There is a minimum fixed cost of between 2,000 and 3,000 euros per intervention. For larger actions, it is usually about 15 euros per square meter of sheets or linear meter of downspout,” says García. Currently, when buying a home, no document is required to certify that it has asbestos. “If it is discovered by the purchasing party, they can judicially demand its withdrawal with a reduction in the price or the termination of the contract for the sale of the home. Therefore, if the seller does not disclose it and has asbestos, it is considered a hidden defect that is compensable,” explains lawyer Jorge Vila Lozano. The expert believes that “notaries have before them a task of unquestionable social utility and through them it may be required that, in their public deeds of sale, they include the requirement to the seller verifying whether the property transferred has the presence of asbestos or any other substance. harmfulness linked to the manifestation of any constructive vice (in addition to the hidden one).” This would lead to a reduction in litigation. The seller responds in any case, even if he was unaware of his presence. Follow all the information from Economy and Business on Facebook and xor in our weekly newsletter