This Thursday, Drago Verdes Canarias is set to present a motion during the La Laguna City Council’s plenary session in support of Tenerife Tram workers. The workers have been raising concerns about the presence of silica dust, a carcinogenic agent, on the tracks for several years. Alberto Rodríguez, a councilor, will be advocating for the motion, stating that “recognition of the occupational risks arising from exposure to silica dust is essential, especially with current cases of diagnosed lung diseases among service workers and potential exposure to the general population.”
Rodríguez also stated that “if there are indeed documented exposures to this chemical agent, we will request action from the Environmental Prosecutor’s Office to investigate this potential public health issue, with Metropolitano de Tenerife being held accountable.”
Silica dust is cited as one of the key reasons behind the recently announced strike by tram staff, coinciding with the Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival. Negotiations between workers and the Tenerife Cabildo are ongoing to address the requested improvements.
Rodríguez pointed out that “this chemical agent is a result of the friction between the wheel and the rail”, emphasizing that “Spanish legislation had classified silica dust as a hazardous chemical agent five years before the tram’s construction, and it has been recognized as a carcinogen since 2020.”
Additionally, Rodríguez highlighted that “one of our fundamental demands in the motion is the monitoring of real exposure levels to the agent at all stops, tunnels, and steep inclines within our municipality, as these are the areas where significant friction occurs,” underscoring that “any level of exposure to silica dust is detrimental to health, as there is no safe threshold.”
“We will also urgently demand the implementation of necessary measures to prevent the exposure of workers and users to this chemical agent,” continued the councilor, “along with the replacement of the current product with a technically effective yet safe alternative.”
Silica Powder:
To ensure proper traction and braking of the tram wheels, the Metropolitano de Tenerife, SA trams, manufactured by Alstom, continuously inject silica sand onto the track bed. When this sand is crushed due to the friction between wheel and rail, it produces respirable crystalline silica dust, a hazardous and carcinogenic chemical agent. Drago explains that in steep terrains like Tenerife, the amount of sand used for traction and braking is significantly higher than in other locations.
Since 2001, with the enforcement of Royal Decree 374/2001, dated April 6, on the protection of workers’ health and safety against risks related to chemical agents during work, respirable crystalline silica dust has been recognized as a hazardous chemical agent. The tram manufacturer, multinational corporation Alstom, failed to alert Metropolitano de Tenerife, SA about this risk inherent in normal operations. As a result, both staff and users have been exposed to varying levels of this agent without adequate protection from 2006 to 2022.
Furthermore, since 2017, it has been established that respirable crystalline silica dust is a carcinogenic chemical agent, as outlined in Directive (EU) 2017/2398 of the European Parliament and the Council, dated December 12, 2017. This directive was incorporated into the Spanish legal framework in 2020, adding silica dust as a carcinogenic substance to Royal Decree 665/1997, dated May 12, on the protection of workers against risks associated with exposure to carcinogenic agents during work.
