European Parliament’s cancer committee urged to consider health impacts of insulation materials such as mineral wool

On Friday 11 December the Special Committee on Beating Cancer (BECA) of the European Parliament will hear from seven leading specialists in cancer prevention about the effect the environment can have on everybody’s risk of developing cancer, including radiation, air pollution, exposure to chemicals and pesticides, and being exposed to carcinogens at work. Campaigners hope…

Should mineral wool be considered in the EU’s Beating Cancer Plan?

The European Union’s Beating Cancer Plan is Europe’s main initiative to tackle the disease. But does it go far enough in addressing the hazards that workers in particular might face that could increase their risks, especially given that cancer causes around half of all deaths that are related to work? The European Commission has recently presented a…

EU’s ‘Green Deal’ must take into account health concerns over mineral wool

The European Commission’s ambitious European Green Deal aims to address the twin challenge of energy efficiency and affordability and states that the European Union and the member states should engage in a ‘Renovation Wave’ of public and private buildings. This policy enjoys broad support and the renovation wave has also become a key element of…

Will the European Parliament ignore concerns about the environmental and health impact of mineral wool?

The European Green Deal is a major focus in the European Parliament this year and it involves a ‘Renovation Wave’ to ensure that buildings within the European Union are sustainable and energy efficient. Back in March, the Commission outlined in its new Circular Economy Action Plan that the Renovation Wave would lead to significant improvements in energy…

Denmark gets tough on mineral wool health risks

Denmark’s Minister of Employment, Peter Hummelgaard The Danish government has announced that a way forward has been found on regulating the demolition and installation of Man-Made Vitreous Fibres (MMVF), more commonly known as mineral wool. The material is a building insulation material that has been the subject of longstanding health concerns, including fears over a possible increased…

COVID-19 lockdowns may reduce outdoor air pollution but what about the indoor pollution threat?

Many European capital cities are reporting reduced air pollution due to the COVID-19 pandemic meaning traffic greatly reduced as many Europeans are staying at home due to national measures to limit the spread of the virus. However, the easing of air pollution caused by the pandemic goes against the general trend. Just before the “lockdowns”, the European…

MMVF: awareness raising and adequate labelling needed

Health experts have thrown their weight behind calls for awareness-raising programmes and better product labelling for potentially hazardous material. The experts, meeting in Brussels for a high-level conference on lung cancer, highlight the “usefulness” of such campaigning in order to make the public better informed. Medical oncologist Ioannis Boukovinas, President of Hellenic Society of Medical…