Toulouse. From asbestos to the CHU, “a time bomb” for employees
Through Simon Vermot Desroches
Published on
The case of Marie-Christine Anglade is it an isolated case or the first of a long list? Former employee of the nursery Toulouse University HospitalShe had contracted a cancer during his last years of career.
A cancer that has been recognized as occupational disease in January 2023, almost a year and a half after his death. A cancer, finally, which finds its origin during an exposure tofriend, “and only with asbestos”, as the husband of the deceased explained, Pascal Anglade.
The CGT wants to file a complaint for endangering the lives of others
So, is there a real risk of exposure to asbestos in the Toulouse University Hospital ? For the CGTand one of its representatives Julien Terrier, there is no doubt about it. “We have some records ofCHU employees who have asbestos-related diseases. And we are concerned, since the time limit between exposure and disease onset can be very long. »
The CGT therefore does not intend to stop there. The union is finalizing the final details for lodge a complaint against the hospital management for “endangering the lives of others”.
“For almost 20 years, nothing happened”
Because the union considers that there was a lack of cruelty taking into account the asbestos risk at the CHU. “For nearly 20 years, nothing happened,” says the union representative. A report on the subject published in 2018 by an independent body, Degest, points out significant delays concerning, pell-mell, diagnoses, risk assessment, medical follow-up, prevention, asbestos removal work, agent training, etc.
14 million euros invested by the CHU
For his part, the university hospital ensure that everything is in place to protect its agents. ” Since 2015, 14 million euros were devoted to asbestos removal from the various buildings in a multi-year plan which concerns 82,457 m²”. Similarly, “the efforts have been substantial from 2014 on the prevention and the training“, according to the head of risk prevention at the CHU, Marie-Josee Ghiglia.
2014, 2015… Far too late for the CGT, when asbestos was banned in 1997. The union assures him: “It’s a time bombthere will be an explosion in the number of diseases due to asbestos in the coming years”.
Inert asbestos in the walls, and therefore non-harmful
And while the CHU wants to show that it is concerned by the subject, it does not however recognize the exposure to asbestos of Ms Anglade at his place of work. And this, despite the contrary recommendation of a specialist that the university hospital had himself mandated on this issue. “There is always a doubt that the exposure of Ms Anglade took place at his place of work”, explains the head of human resources at the CHU, Edouard Douheret.
A point which is based mainly on a fact: the asbestos present at the crèche was “inert in the walls”, explains the risk manager at the CHU. “It was impossible to know he was there without destroying the wall. Tests did not show no presence of asbestos fibers in the crèche”.
The CHU therefore assures that exposure of this type of personnel is unlikely, and the training of personnel, who may be exposed, is complete. Because asbestos only becomes dangerous when fibers are suspended in the air. These fibers, inhaled, become lodged at the bottom of the lungs.
Minimal exposure levels are sufficient
But these findings are not revealing for Alain Bobbiovice president of thenational association for the defense of asbestos victims (Andeva) who accompanied Pascal Anglade in his fight.
“A bad hammer blow during work, cleaning with a tool that is too hard… As soon as there is degradation of materialsthat the asbestos disintegrates and falls to the ground, it is dangerous“, he explains. “And it’s tiny, how do you know?” There is no no minimum exposure thresholdonce can be enough,” he concludes.
This question, an isolated case or the first of a long list, is therefore only a matter of chance?
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