Hungarian government orders asbestos cleanup in Szombathely's Oladi Plató

The Hungarian government has decided to remove asbestos‑contaminated crushed stone from the Oladi Plató district of Szombathely. The area, home to about 1,500 residents, includes roughly 12 kilometres of streets where the material has been identified. While recent measurements show contamination levels below health limits, earlier tests recorded concentrations far above both Hungarian and Austrian standards, prompting the intervention.

Authorities plan to excavate and safely dispose of an estimated 84,000 tonnes of polluted stone, a task projected to cost about 3.6 billion forints and to take around three months. The operation will involve the Hungarian Defence Forces, the National Institute of Health, and specialist remediation firms. Financing details and the exact schedule are still being negotiated, but officials indicate work could start within days to a few weeks. Residents have welcomed the decision after months of uncertainty, though many await further information on timelines and safety measures. Other sites with lower contamination levels will not receive immediate remediation.

The cleanup reflects a broader governmental effort to address environmental health hazards and enforce the principle that polluters bear the cost of remediation.