Tenerife Residents Demand Action Over Health Risks from Nearby Quarry Dust
Residents of Chimiche in Tenerife are demanding urgent action from local authorities as a nearby aggregate quarry blankets their homes and school in hazardous volcanic glass dust.
Life in the town of Chimiche, located in Granadilla de Abona, Tenerife, has become increasingly difficult due to a nearby aggregate quarry. As reported by the Televisión Canaria program ¡Hay que verlo!, residents are struggling with constant dust and debris blowing into their homes from the extraction site, which sits just 50 meters away.
This is more than just a cleaning issue. Experts have identified the dust as volcanic glass, which consists of microscopic, sharp-edged particles. Inhaling this material poses a serious health risk, particularly for children and the elderly, who are now forced to stay indoors to avoid the poor air quality.
The problem has persisted for a year and is now affecting the local school, where staff must clean constantly to keep the dust out of classrooms. This situation has led many to question why a quarry was permitted to operate so close to a residential area.
While regulations exist to control emissions and maintain safety distances, residents feel these rules are failing to protect them. With no effective solution in sight, the community is calling on local authorities to step in—either by suspending operations or enforcing strict measures to stop the dust from spreading into their homes and schools.