Regional project · Environmental monitoring
Stop Amianto
A citizen platform to locate and map asbestos in Spain
About the project
Stop Amianto was a citizen science platform for geolocating asbestos in Spain. It was developed by Comisiones Obreras Aragón and Fundación Ibercivis, with support from the Government of Aragon.
Asbestos is a toxic material that releases carcinogenic substances when handled. Installing it has been banned in Spain since 2002, but for decades it was used in the roofs and structures of thousands of buildings. It is still present in many places, and there are waste sites where it is not properly treated or collected.
The platform had three parts:
- An Android app that anyone could use to record a site with asbestos (roofs, pipes, tanks, rubble…), add information and upload a photo.
- A collaborative web map based on OpenStreetMap, where users located and classified affected areas.
- A resources website with legislation, technical guides, links to other platforms and a space for groups and associations of affected people.
Project objectives
- To locate existing asbestos sites with the help of the public.
- To produce an asbestos map that would help ensure it is properly treated and removed.
- To make it easier to monitor how these materials are handled and to plan their collection.
- To reduce removal costs by allowing joint collections based on proximity and the amount of asbestos.
The role of Ibercivis
Ibercivis developed the project together with Comisiones Obreras Aragón and created the Stop Amianto app to locate and catalogue sites with asbestos. It also took part in the public launch of the platform and in promoting it.
Our activities
- Development of the Stop Amianto app and the collaborative web map.
- Creation of the website with resources on asbestos.
- Launch of the platform on 5 December 2018 at Etopia (Zaragoza), with a workshop demonstrating the app and the website.
- Participation, in March 2022, in an event with Comisiones Obreras calling for European funding to remove asbestos in Aragon.
Project details
Type of project
Regional
Duration
2018 – 2022
Funding
With support from the Government of Aragon
Consortium
Comisiones Obreras Aragón, Fundación Ibercivis
Area
Environmental monitoring
