Asbestos Forum 2026 in Essen: CRB to present on asbestos in playground sand and operate its own information booth

On 5 and 6 November 2026, the 35th Forum Asbest und andere Schadstoffe in technischen Anlagen und Bauwerken (Forum on asbestos and other pollutants in technical installations and buildings) will take place at Haus der Technik in Essen. Our laboratory director, Dr Stefan Pierdzig, will give a presentation on asbestos in play sand. CRB will also be represented with its own information stand at the accompanying trade exhibition.

Forum Asbest has been held since 1992 and is one of the established industry meetings on asbestos and building pollutants. Chaired by Dipl.-Ing. Heinz Kropiunik and Dr Bernd Sedat, the event provides information on new regulations for asbestos remediation and offers a platform for practical exchange.

Key event details for Forum Asbest 2026

• Date: Thursday, 5 November, 9 a.m., to Friday, 6 November, 2 p.m.
• Venue: Haus der Technik e. V., Hollestraße 1, 45127 Essen, Germany
• Format: on-site or online participation
• Participation fee: from €1,090.00; from €990.00 for HDT members
• Target audience: interested parties and competent persons according to TRGS 519, clients and contractors in building pollutant remediation, staff of supervisory authorities and building and environmental agencies, demolition, deconstruction and waste disposal companies, as well as construction and remediation experts.
• Programme and registration: via the Haus der Technik website

CRB presentation: asbestos contamination in play sand

On the second day of the event, Dr Stefan Pierdzig will speak about asbestos contamination in play sand in the session “Asbest 2026 – und noch kein Ende” (Asbestos 2026 – and still no end in sight) from 11:15 to 13:00. The same session features presentations by Stefan Stadler (Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe) on asbestos in materials from quarries in Burgenland and by Dr Erzsébet Harman-Tóth on the asbestos situation in Hungary. A panel discussion concludes Forum Asbest 2026.

Coloured play sand and kinetic sand can be found in many children’s rooms and kindergartens. Since early 2026, the North Rhine-Westphalia consumer advice centre (Verbraucherzentrale NRW) and the German consumer organisation Stiftung Warentest, among others, have been warning about asbestos in imported products. Most likely, the hazardous fibres are not added to the play sand intentionally. Instead, this is so-called “geogenic asbestos”, which enters the material via the raw materials. Over the past few months, we have already examined numerous play sand samples under the scanning electron microscope. We will share our findings in our presentation at Forum Asbest.

CTA: Learn more about asbestos testing of play sand and kinetic sand

CTA: Learn more about geogenic asbestos

Programme: Forum Asbest 2026 at a glance

Thursday, 5 November 2026

• Current topics in the DACH region: pollutants in buildings: current developments in Austria, Switzerland and Germany
• Implementation of the EU Asbestos Directive: impact on the enforcement of the GefStoffV with an outlook on the future TRGS 519, and impact on activities according to TRGS 517
• Natural hazard damage related to asbestos: asbestos risk in insurance law, hail damage to asbestos cement roofs and fire exposure of asbestos cement products
• Sampling and analysis of asbestos-containing materials: determination of asbestos mass content according to CEN/TS 18020:2024, the four methods according to Annex 2 of TRGS 517 and a comparison of the guidelines IFA 7487:1997 and VDI 3866 Part 5:2017 Annex B

Friday, 6 November 2026

• Circular economy and pollutants: pre-demolition audit, construction material recycling from a German perspective and recycling of man-made mineral fibres
• Asbest 2026 – und noch kein Ende: asbestos contamination in play sand, asbestos in materials from quarries in Burgenland and the asbestos situation in Hungary

Visit CRB at our information stand

A trade exhibition takes place alongside the presentations on both days of the event. Feel free to stop by our information stand and ask us your questions about asbestos analysis.

Register now for Forum Asbest 2026 via the Haus der Technik event page. We look forward to exchanging ideas with you in Essen.