The then State Secretary for Construction Frank Bielka (SPD) on the asbestos hazard in East Berlin flats.
taz: How many residential units in East Berlin are potentially at risk from asbestos?
Frank Bielka: You can't say that at the moment. I hope quite a few.
So there is no concrete investigation result yet?
We commissioned a study some time ago. However, it deals not only with the subject of asbestos, but also with the overall technical situation of flats built using the prefabricated slab construction method. According to the information I have gathered here in the administration, it looks as if we only have to reckon with dangerous asbestos contamination on the fringes.
According to 'Spiegel', which cites the Federal Environment Agency, 500 million square metres of asbestos cement sheets were installed in the GDR alone. This also applies to East Berlin.
The 'Spiegel' article is based on a very sober analysis of the environmental pollution in the Magdeburg area, which has been pimped up very speculatively. So far, we can only say the following: In the normal prefabricated slab construction, it appears that asbestos types that could have a harmful or threatening effect were not used. I deliberately say here that it appears to be the case because we still have to wait for the final results, which will probably be available in a quarter of a year. But there is of course the case of the Sokalit plates in certain areas. We will certainly have to think about replacing them.
How many flats are affected?
Sokalit panels are recognised as having been used in less than a thousand residential units, although this has not only been known since today. The companies concerned are already working on refurbishment concepts. Of course, I cannot rule out the possibility that there is a certain number of other flats. This will have to be examined in the near future. However, the flats that are known and have been examined are not under lockdown due to health hazards. (Note: for Frank Bielka asbestos has apparently never been dangerous)
In other words, the limit value of 500 fibres per cubic metre of air was not exceeded?
Yes, in Friedrichshain, the local housing association commissioned a survey itself, knowing about the Sokalit panels. Two vacant flats were ripped out and examined very closely. This naturally led to the fibre contamination being so high that the flats are still closed. In the other flats, the contamination is below the limit values, which means that there is a need for remediation in the medium term.
What about public buildings? Six of the 13 daycare centres affected by asbestos have already been closed.
We also had this discussion a few years ago in West Berlin. Since then, buildings have generally been checked for the use of asbestos and classified according to their hazard potential. In East Berlin, the old magistrate still ordered that nursery schools in so-called metal-light buildings be examined for asbestos. In the 13 cases identified here, the district hygiene institute recommended certain levels of urgency for action.
So there is no panic in the Senate Building Department that the asbestos removal in East Berlin could now result in enormous costs?
Of course, there are costs involved. The asbestos removal requirement for West Berlin alone is estimated at around four billion marks. There are no estimates for East Berlin yet. The district authorities have been instructed to carry out the relevant asbestos surveys. These have certainly not yet been completed because the district authorities have countless problems to solve at the same time.
Source: TAZ Archive