Szombathely asbestos crisis prompts road closures and health measures

Hungarian officials declared a public‑health emergency in Szombathely after investigations found that gravel and crushed stone used to surface Sip Street contained natural asbestos from quarries in Burgenland, Austria. The city imposed a 10 km/h speed limit, required residents to remove shoes and wipe pets’ paws before entering homes, barred strollers, and recommended mask use and continuous wetting of the road to suppress dust. Residents reported panic, falling property values and increasing uncertainty. Austrian authorities, citing recent air‑quality measurements, argued that asbestos levels are not hazardous, while Greenpeace criticised the measurements as unrepresentative. The dispute led to a bilateral meeting in Vienna on 21 May, where Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker announced a joint working group and pledged support for Hungary’s investigation. Hungarian Environment Minister Gábor Gajdós secured an agreement to halt stone shipments from a fifth Burgenland quarry near Rohonc starting 22 May.