December 22nd, 2004

The Greek Health Minister, Nikitas Kaklamanis, has told the Greek Parliament that a hospital that was only built in 1996 will have to be refurbished next year. This is due to large amounts of asbestos used in the construction of the building. Asbestos slabs were used when the Thriasio hospital was constructed, and the Health Minister stated that these would be removed next year and taken to safe sites out of the country.

The project, which is to make the hospital safer for both staff and patients, is likely to cost over four million euros. The hospital is near Elefsina, west of Athens, and the current levels of asbestos are causing concerns for the government, staff and patients. Exposure to asbestos can lead to ill effects, including a deadly cancer known as mesothelioma, which can take several decades to manifest following exposure.

The major refurbishment and asbestos removal is scheduled in for next year, and the funding is due to come from new taxes on tobacco sales. It is hoped that the project can be commenced and completed as early as possible, as this could reduce the risk to patients that are already ill and open to other illnesses as well as staff working in the hospital.

Mesothelioma cases are already on the rise in countries all around the world, and breathing in asbestos fibres can result in mesothelioma, which can affect the heart, lungs or abdomen. This cancer can shorted the lifespan to a matter of months, and as yet there is no cure for the disease.