Balearics: 283 asbestos plans as EU tightens rules
Across the Balearic Islands, 283 work plans involving a risk of asbestos exposure in 2025 mark a 22% rise from 2023. On Tuesday, 6 October 2026, the European Parliament approves tighter limits on workers’ exposure to other dangerous substances. The Balearic Institute for Occupational Safety and Health processed the asbestos plans; asbestos is a cancer-causing material.
More than 200 companies were on the islands’ register of businesses with an asbestos risk at the end of September 2025. The institute’s latest annual report does not say how many workplace accidents or illnesses were linked to chemicals.
New limits for battery and steel work
The European Parliament’s rules set exposure limits for cobalt compounds used in battery production and substances found in work involving steel, iron and aluminium. They also cover 1,4-dioxane, used in the chemical and textile industries, and set a long-term limit for isoprene, used to make chemicals and rubber.
Brussels estimates that the rules could prevent about 1,700 cases of lung cancer and 19,000 other illnesses over the next 40 years. The European Commission must also examine whether substances in welding fumes need further restrictions.
Protection when exposure cannot be cut enough
Where exposure cannot be reduced below the limits, workers must have measures including respiratory protection and regular breaks in areas free from contamination risk. The rules also provide safeguards for firefighters and other emergency workers, more training for people who may encounter dangerous substances, and protections when handling certain hazardous medicines.
Once the directive takes effect, member states will have two years to put it into national law. Some of the new limits have longer transition periods.
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com