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When we turn on a tap, we assume that the water is perfectly safe to drink, however as pipes age and deteriorate asbestos can scatter into the water. Such is the worrying opening sentence of a detailed 14 page report based on research by Derek Maylor, former H&S Officer (T&FS) Greater Mersey Amal and Chair of the NW BT Unions Health & Safety Co-ord. Derek worked with Julian Branch (from Canada) who offered him great assistance in providing direction from the outset of looking into the topic – Julian has a background in journalism and strategic communications and some of his personal observations from his own research are also quoted. Derek now supports the Merseyside Asbestos Victims Support Group where he is also a trustee, and was keen to look into what has before now been almost ignored - the risk of water borne Asbestos being ingested by both humans and animals, with little known health implications, despite Asbestos being known to cause lung cancer in the form of Mesothelioma as a result of exposure to asbestos dust and fine particles.
According to the United Utilities 15% of drinking water pipes in the north west contain asbestos which was used as a binding agent many years ago (10th. November 2023). These pipes are worn and near their end of useful life cycle, a concern around the world not just the UK, the worry is that asbestos fibres are being released into people’s drinking water. Worldwide concerns have already been registered in many countries, including Canada advised Julian Branch: In Canada, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May has tabled a petition calling on the Federal Government to take urgent action on Canada’s aging asbestos-cement pipes due to the potential dangers of drinking tap water containing the deadly fibre (9th November 2023), the Government has 45 days to respond. Across the Atlantic Ocean in a far more populated continent, similar action is being taken: In South Africa District Speaker, Nomathemba Gabela has been asked for timelines and funding details for the replacement of asbestos cement pipes (7th November 2023) describing the situation as “a ticking time bomb as their life span is +/- 35 years, beyond this they become unreliable and can break with some micro residues making their way to the glasses of residents thus risking their health because of the carcinogenic nature of asbestos base materials”. But does Ingestion of Asbestos fibre have the same risks to health as that of Inhalation? The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) acknowledge that the inhalation of asbestos fibres can kill [1] but many say the latter is not a problem such as the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) [2] and Piperepair.co.uk [3]. However, to use the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) advice and err on the side of caution, which WHO term as “the Precautionary Principle”, we have considered that ingestion can cause peritoneal mesothelioma, in the abdominal cavity, and digestive cancers even if these are less common.
The 14 page report provides further detail of the issues concerned and raises important questions for the health of the nation as our infrastructure deteriorates as a result of the callous decline in financial investment and maintenance budgets for the last 13 years due to Government decisions to implement austerity measures which are unlikely to be reversed within the first term of any change of Government, irrespective of which political party wins next year's general election. Indeed, given the little difference between the current governing political party and the main opposition, it is highly unlikely. You can download Derek's full report from the Unionsafety E-Library, along with further documentation on Asbestos related illness and research; by searching under the 'Asbestos' category or by simply clicking on the image above in order to download the report alone direct. 1. Health & Safety Executive. (2012). Why is asbestos dangerous? [Online]. HSE. Available at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/intro.htm [Accessed 14 November 2023]. Source: Derek Maylor / Julian Branch / other sources listed at end of the document.
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A potential source for this ingestion could be from drinking water that has been contaminated by the water flowing through asbestos-cement (A/C) pipes. Further investigation on this is warranted but this would have to be taken by those with a clinician’s background.