Shipments of asbestos waste to Portugal more than tripled in 2019

The amount of asbestos-containing trash shipped to Portuguese landfills from abroad more than tripled last year, alarming environmentalists and locals alike due to the carcinogenic and other health risks from the material. Portugal's environmental agency APA said in a report on Monday that 1,684 tonnes of debris and construction waste containing asbestos arrived in the country in 2019 from Greece, Malta, Nigeria and Oman, compared with 496 tonnes the year before.

The amount of asbestos-containing trash shipped to Portuguese landfills from abroad more than tripled last year, alarming environmentalists and locals alike due to the carcinogenic and other health risks from the material.

Portugal's environmental agency APA said in a report on Monday that 1,684 tonnes of debris and construction waste containing asbestos arrived in the country in 2019 from Greece, Malta, Nigeria and Oman, compared with 496 tonnes the year before. "It is essential to review Portugal's waste management strategy," said Carmen Lima, from environmental group Quercus and coordinator at SOS Asbestos.

Portugal has become an attractive destination for foreign trash in part because of its low waste management fee for landfills, set at 11 euros per tonne, compared with a European average of 80 euros. These fees are expected to increase. Worried locals living near landfills have raised concerns.

APA said legislation in place guaranteed the impact on the environment was minimised and health was safeguarded. In a statement, SOS Asbestos said there were also concerns materials containing asbestos were also being dumped illegally elsewhere, including in forests.

Exposure to asbestos has been shown to cause lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma, a cancer that affects the protective lining that covers the body's internal organs, including the lungs and chest. The use and trade in asbestos and products containing the material has been prohibited in Portugal since 2005.

Earlier this year fears over the tens of thousands of tonnes of "amber list" trash, which includes waste containing hazardous substances, arriving in Portugal prior to 2020 forced the government to suspend imports of trash until the end of the year to protect domestic landfill capacity.