Abstract
Until now, the majority of asbestos-related research has focused on the health challenges of asbestos and the waste management challenges caused by asbestos cement products. The limitation of the research is that there is no uniform indicator or index formation method available for asbestos exposure and involvement on a national scale. Given the neglect of the topic, there are no uniform risk assessment and situation assessment procedures available, neither, as a result, indicators or public databases. The aim of this paper is that, in parallel with the European Union's 2023 asbestos neutrality objectives, asbestos exposure is examined as a kind of indicator to assess the actual level of development of those member states that are progressing along the sustainable development goals. The focus of the paper is an analysis of the situation rather than the discovery of new scientific results. Using an integrated index formation method, the relationship between the indicators of sustainable development and the volume of asbestos consumption in the countries in the focus group is examined. It was established that the average value of the sustainable development index corrected for asbestos exposure in relation to the EU-27 is 0.428, which means a medium level of involvement. A comparison of the two indexes shows that there are significant differences. The average correction rate is -47.4 %. Based on the results and according to previous literature sources, asbestos exposure is an unexamined segment of efforts for sustainable development, which can also result in significant dissonances.
