More evidence suggests that Austrian authorities and quarry operators have been aware of asbestos contamination for years, while continuing to generate substantial profits from stone and gravel exported to Hungary.
We have previously reported in detail on the asbestos contamination scandal affecting Szombathely and Vas County, where crushed stone contaminated with asbestos from Austrian quarries was used in road construction and other infrastructure projects.
According to transport data from Hungary’s National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV), gravel and crushed stone from the affected quarries have been delivered to several Hungarian settlements since 2015 not only to Vas County, but also to areas around Budapest and even the Danube–Tisza region. As a result, hundreds of thousands of tonnes of contaminated gravel may have entered Hungary over recent decades.
Asbestos is considered particularly dangerous because its microscopic needle-like fibres can be inhaled deep into the lungs. Once there, they may cause chronic inflammation, scarring and a condition known as asbestosis, while also significantly increasing the risk of several fatal cancers.
However, beyond the scale of the contamination itself, it is now becoming increasingly clear that the Austrian quarries involved may have generated significant revenues for many years from the export of stone and gravel to Hungary.
Previously reported: Unprecedented asbestos contamination crisis – vast numbers of people exposed to the carcinogenic material
Authorities may have known about the asbestos decades ago
There may already have been information about asbestos contamination in the affected Austrian quarries long before the current scandal emerged. As early as 1994, measurements reportedly detected the presence of asbestos in the same Burgenland quarries now at the centre of the controversy.
Signs of the hazardous material appeared even earlier in a 1981 study, which reported health abnormalities consistent with asbestos fibre inhalation among local residents living in the area.
The Austrian investigative newspaper Falter, citing documents, expert reports and earlier measurement results, also claims that Austrian authorities may have known for many years that crushed stone contaminated with asbestos from certain Burgenland quarries could have entered the market.
According to Greenpeace, contaminated crushed stone imported into Hungary may have originated from the following quarries:
- Pilgersdorf – Hans Zöchling GmbH
- Bernstein – Hermann Mayer GesmbH
- Rumpersdorf / Glashütten bei Schlaining – Klöcher Baugesellschaft m.b.H.
- Badersdorf – Klöcher Baugesellschaft m.b.H.
The environmental organisation claims that Austrian authorities may have been aware since at least 2011 that gravel from the affected quarries could contain asbestos. Nevertheless, no full closure or comprehensive contamination management measures were introduced in time. As a result, the problematic material remained in circulation for years and may have been exported to Hungary in large quantities.
Austrian quarries may have earned billions from asbestos-contaminated gravel
According to a detailed report by G7, Austrian quarries may have generated substantial revenues over many years from stone and gravel exported to Hungary. Trade data shows that the volume of construction materials imported from Austria increased significantly over the past decades.
While Hungary imported roughly 200,000 tonnes of gravel and stone annually in the early 2000s, imports had risen to 3.6 million tonnes by 2018. G7 estimates that between 1998 and 2025, a total of 2.8 million tonnes of stone and gravel were transported from Austrian quarries to Hungary.
Based on the estimated calculations, the value of Austrian stone and gravel exports may have reached HUF 77 billion at today’s prices. It remains unclear exactly how much of this originated from the asbestos-affected quarries, although the annual turnover of the companies involved may have been in the region of HUF 90–100 billion.
Several quarries closed as contamination concerns grow
Investigations into the damage and contaminated areas are still ongoing, and the true extent of the contamination remains unknown. Experts say the greatest challenge is that the crushed stone was used for many years in road construction, car parks and other projects across the country, making it extremely difficult to determine exactly where the material ended up.
According to the latest estimates, more than 300 locations in Hungary are now suspected of having used asbestos-contaminated gravel, mainly in western Hungary.
Meanwhile, Austrian authorities have already closed several of the affected quarries. László Gajdos, the minister responsible for environmental protection, told ATV that extraction work has already stopped at four quarries, while the owner of another quarry has pledged not to deliver any more stone to Hungary. According to the minister, the next major challenge will be the safe removal or treatment of the contaminated road foundations that have already been built in.
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