Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) has confirmed that it will be testing its trains for asbestos. The harmful material is still present in a number of trains on the network, despite being banned over 30 years ago.
In a statement, SBB said that it would be screening its fleet for traces of asbestos. Experts are set to take samples from a number of its older trains, to “conduct a risk assessment with regard to occupational safety, health, and the environment".
In the 1900s, asbestos was hailed as the material of the future. Thanks to its excellent thermal and electrical insulating properties and its resistance to fire, the material was used in everything from housing and cars to trains. However, research conducted at the turn of the 20th century revealed that inhaling asbestos has the potential to cause lung cancer and asbestosis - a condition which permanently scars the lungs.
Even though multiple countries have banned the substance, experts estimate that 255.000 people still die of asbestos-related diseases every year. The first death of an SBB worker related to asbestos was recorded in 1994, and by 2000, 80 railway employees had died. In 2017, SBB co-founded a compensation fund to support the victims of asbestos use on the railways, which has contributed 10 million francs to date.
Despite Switzerland banning asbestos in 1990, SBB trains built before this date still contain the substance. These include EW IV trains, which run long-distance public transport services between cities, Re 450 trains that run on S-Bahn lines in Canton Zurich, a handful of EuroCity trains and RE420 locomotives. Most of these trains are due to remain in service until the 2030s.
Therefore, SBB will conduct the study to make them safe for future use. Speaking to Watson, company spokesperson Moritz Weisskopf said that the study will focus on making the trains less hazardous for maintenance workers, noting that "the health and safety of our employees is always our top priority”. The scan will also attempt to identify and remove other carcinogenic and harmful materials.
Weisskopf assured that while several of its commuter trains do have asbestos in them, "without damage, there is no release of asbestos. There is no danger to our customers or staff when the trains are in operation." He concluded that instead of converting passenger areas, the work will focus on “technical components” that are more likely to release asbestos during maintenance.
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