Lisbon Invests €400M to Remove Asbestos from Schools

- The use of asbestos in construction has been banned in Portugal since January 1, 2005, following a European Union directive. However, buildings constructed before this date are likely to contain asbestos materials. - This initiative follows a 2020 program that identified 578 schools in mainland Portugal for asbestos removal, with 163 of those located in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. - Asbestos fibers, when inhaled, can cause serious and fatal diseases such as asbestosis (lung scarring), lung cancer, and mesothelioma, with symptoms often appearing decades after exposure. The World Health Organization estimates that occupational exposure to asbestos causes more than 200,000 deaths globally each year. - In addition to roofing, asbestos-containing materials in older school buildings can be found in flooring, ceiling tiles, and insulation for pipes and ducts. The risk of fiber release increases when these materials are disturbed or degraded. - The European Parliament updated its Asbestos at Work Directive in 2023 to lower the occupational exposure limit and recognized the issue of passive exposure for individuals not directly handling asbestos materials. - A recent storm, "Kristin," in January and February 2026 damaged numerous asbestos-containing roofs across Portugal, increasing the urgency of removal and highlighting the public health risks from weathered asbestos materials. - The Portuguese association SOS Amianto has warned that Portugal missed a December 2025 deadline to transpose a new European directive, which mandates a lower worker exposure limit to asbestos, potentially leaving renovation workers with less protection. - Beyond the removal from the 13 schools already identified, the broader challenge for the Lisbon municipality's school park includes 141 school buildings in total, with an estimated investment of over 600 million euros required for comprehensive upgrades, including energy efficiency and seismic resistance.