In the 1970s, Badía del Vallés emerged in Barcelona’s industrial belt as a home for thousands of families, mostly of Extremadura and Andalusian origin, who emigrated to Catalonia in search of a better life. the city, lifted quickly and as part of a clear commitment to asbestos – a material commonly used in construction at that time – is today faced with the consequences of its legacy: an increase in serious illnesses linked to exposure to this toxic compound.
For Pilar, a neighbor who arrived in Badía in those early years, the danger of asbestos was a recent and terrifying revelation. “It’s there, in the uralite plates,” he comments with concern. Like many people in her community, she witnessed first-hand the devastating effects of cancer on her family and friends. “I have been operated on for breast cancer. There are more and more cases of cancer,” she says, even if doctors have not found a direct link in her case. However, experts point out that asbestos is a major carcinogenlinked mainly to lung cancer and mesothelioma, a link that does not go unnoticed by neighbors.
Since the ban on asbestos in 2002, Badía del Vallés has raised its voice for its eradication. Now, after a decade of outreach efforts, the city has gotten the green light to begin the removal process. The mayor proudly announced: “We are going to be the first city in Europe without asbestos”.
The decommissioning strategy will require each building to be bubble sealed during extraction work, temporarily confine neighbors and workers within these enclosed spaces, a complex process that aims to guarantee the safety of all. “Every time you confine, you lock a person in an environment without light,” explains the director of IDES, the company responsible for asbestos removal. This process, it is stated, is necessary to prevent asbestos fibers from spreading and contaminating the external environment.
49 years after its foundation, Badía del Vallés faces a new battle. The city that once welcomed so many working families now seeks to offer them, for the first time, an asbestos-free environment and safer to live.
