On 26 May 2026, Assoz. Prof. DI Dr. Hans-Peter Hutter, head of the Land Burgenland task force "Vorsorgeabklärung Luftqualität", made two statements about the asbestos contamination in Falter (issue 22/2026). We check them against the publicly documented record. No editorialising, just the sources.
First statement: the laboratory
Hutter, in Falter:
„Unser Messtechniker kann die hohen Werte von Asbestfasern in der Umgebungsluft vor Ort, die ein ungarisches Labor gemessen hat, nicht nachvollziehen. Er selbst hat in Szombathely deutlich niedrigere Werte gemessen. Werte von bis zu 300.000 Fasern pro Kubikmeter Luft gibt es eigentlich nur in Steinbrüchen, wo asbesthaltiges Material zerkleinert wird. Wenn ein Bürgermeister solche Zahlen auf den Tisch bekommt, gerät er natürlich in Panik. Da muss er handeln. Wir halten sie aber nicht für realistisch."
In English: our measurement technician cannot reproduce the high airborne asbestos fibre values that a Hungarian laboratory measured on site; he himself measured significantly lower values in Szombathely; values of up to 300,000 fibres per cubic metre really only occur in quarries where asbestos material is crushed; we do not consider them realistic.
The record:
The "Hungarian laboratory" is the same laboratory as the task force's. Greenpeace, in its 14 April 2026 release: „Die Messungen wurden unter Beteiligung des gleichen Labors, das auch für das Land Burgenland aktiv ist, durchgeführt." (the measurements were carried out with the participation of the same laboratory that is also active for the Land Burgenland). The laboratory that measures for the task force is, per ORF Burgenland (2 February 2026), the Vienna firm ESW Consulting WRUSS: „Der Ziviltechniker Hakan Kuleci von der Firma ESW Consulting WRUSS". The same accredited firm is named as the accredited laboratory in the Hungarian expert opinion (KÖR-KER, Szakértői vélemény 2026_054, 8 April 2026).
The "significantly lower values" also have a documented explanation, and it lies not with the laboratory but with the measurement conditions. Greenpeace, 14 April 2026: the only difference is that the Hungarian measurements were taken in dry weather under real conditions, while the Land Burgenland relies on its last results from winter. The task force's own measurement at the Oberwart clinic produced 830 asbestos fibres per cubic metre, taken at „hohe[r] Luftfeuchtigkeit und nasser[m] Boden" (high humidity and wet ground). Environmental toxicologist Norbert Weis: „Feuchtigkeit sei faserbindend." (humidity binds fibres) (Salzburger Nachrichten, 5 March 2026). Moisture binds the fibres and lowers the reading. The task force's reference value is up to 1,000 fibres per cubic metre.
And "only in quarries"? The up to 292,000 fibres per cubic metre were not measured in a quarry but in a residential area in Szombathely, on a gravel road (Greenpeace, 14 April 2026; 20 Minuten, 16 April 2026).
This statement is not compatible with the publicly documented record: the high values were determined by the same accredited laboratory that also measures for the Land's task force, and the lower Austrian values stem from fibre-suppressing winter and humidity conditions.
Second statement: the origin
Hutter, in Falter:
„Das ist eine berechtigte Frage, obwohl nicht geklärt ist, ob dieser Schotter tatsächlich aus dem Burgenland stammt."
In English: that is a legitimate question, although it is not clarified whether this gravel actually comes from Burgenland.
The record:
The Hungarian tax and customs authority NAV released its EKÁER freight data in response to a data request. It documents deliveries of gravel from the four Burgenland quarries, Pilgersdorf, Bernstein, Rumpersdorf (Glashütten) and Badersdorf, to Hungarian municipalities. According to the G7/Telex analysis (27 May 2026), around 2.8 million tonnes of stone and gravel were delivered from Austrian quarries to Hungary between 1998 and 2025; the NAV data names around 250 affected municipalities (HVG, 23 May 2026).
The NAV delivery data had been public since 23 May 2026. The statement that the origin is "not clarified" is dated 26 May 2026.
Timeline
- 5 March 2026: The task force's own measurement at the Oberwart clinic, 830 fibres per cubic metre, taken on wet ground in high humidity (Salzburger Nachrichten).
- 8 and 14 April 2026: In Szombathely, up to 292,000 fibres per cubic metre are measured, with the participation of the same laboratory that is also active for the Land Burgenland; Hungary declares a health emergency (KÖR-KER; Greenpeace).
- 23 May 2026: The NAV delivery data on the four quarries becomes public (HVG).
- 26 May 2026: Hutter, in Falter: the origin is "not clarified", and the values are "not considered realistic".
Note
Hans-Peter Hutter's position is represented by his own statements in the Falter interview (issue 22/2026). Should any point presented here be demonstrably incorrect, we will correct it.
Sources
- Falter 22/2026, 26 May 2026: falter.at
- ORF Burgenland, 2 February 2026: burgenland.orf.at
- Greenpeace (APA-OTS), 14 April 2026: ots.at
- Salzburger Nachrichten, 5 March 2026: sn.at
- 20 Minuten, 16 April 2026: 20min.ch
- G7/Telex, 27 May 2026: telex.hu
- HVG, 23 May 2026: hvg.hu
- Land Burgenland, task force "Vorsorgeabklärung Luftqualität": burgenland.at
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