Burgenland Asbestos Controversy: Greenpeace and State Clash

Greenpeace has filed a complaint with prosecutors in Eisenstadt over a disaster response exercise conducted in October 2025 at the Pilgersdorf quarry in Burgenland, alleging that students and emergency personnel were exposed to asbestos during the drill. According to the environmental group, hundreds of participants — including schoolchildren — were placed on dusty conveyor belts and partially buried in the quarry as part of rescue training simulations. Greenpeace stated that the exercise took place despite known asbestos contamination in the area, which had been documented since at least 2011. The quarry was officially closed in January 2026 due to asbestos risks, Greenpeace noted, arguing that holding such an exercise in a contaminated site demonstrated a lack of responsibility. The group also claimed that protective gear, including respirators, was not worn during the activity, and that workers’ clothing appeared heavily contaminated in photos from the event, potentially spreading asbestos dust to vehicles and indoor spaces. Burgenland officials have rejected the allegations, maintaining that the exercise was conducted safely and that Greenpeace’s claims are unfounded. Landesrat Heinrich Dorner and the district administration of Oberpullendorf are named in the complaint as being responsible for endangering participants. The incident has drawn attention to ongoing concerns about asbestos in former quarries across eastern Austria, where serpentine rock containing the mineral was historically extracted and used in construction materials such as road fill, and asphalt. Although asbestos has been banned in Austria since 1990 and throughout the EU since 2005, legacy contamination remains a public health and environmental issue.