Following Greenpeace investigations into asbestos in crushed serpentinite used in road construction and even playgrounds, the authorities in Burgenland, Austria, closed four quarries from which the material originated. Subsequent investigations in Hungary, where the material had also been used, added an international dimension to the issue.
In the Ö1 programme Punkt Eins, broadcast on August 19, 2026, Stephan Krämer from the Department of Environmental Geosciences (EDGE) at the University of Vienna discussed the mineralogical reasons why asbestos frequently occurs in serpentinites and summarized potential health effects from asbestos exposure. In conversation with Ö1 journalist Marlene Nowotny, he outlined potential pathways of asbestos exposure from such materials, particularly in road construction where abrasion and dispersion by traffic can occur. He highlighted similarities and differences compared with asbestos-cement products and touched upon the question of disposal of such materials.