Asbestos In Drinking Water: What Does It Mean For Human Health?

In South Africa, the non-profit Helen Suzman Foundation has expressed concern about the rapid deterioration of water pipes and asbestos cement across the country. In a white paper on the topic, it warned that ingesting asbestos could lead to a “fourth wave” of exposure to the substance.

Yvonne Waterman, an asbestos liability expert and founder of the European Asbestos Forum Foundation, a coalition of asbestos experts, echoes these concerns. “Over the years, the list of asbestos-related diseases has progressively become broader and broader as scientific knowledge has improved,” he says. The "classic" diseases linked to asbestos affect the bronchi and lungs. The "new" asbestos-related diseases are said to be caused by the gastrointestinal tract. The main question is: why?

Back in Stannington, locals await the latest reports from the council, Yorkshire Water and regulators on the impact of the breach. Yorkshire Water confirmed there were no plans to test the water for fibre. Sheffield's local MP, Olivia Blake, told the BBC that constituents contacted her and asked if the water was safe to drink. “It's hard for me to have a clear idea,” he says.

Yorkshire Water, responsible for the area, told the BBC that customer safety was of the utmost importance. “We regularly repair asbestos cement pipes and have rigorous procedures in place to keep everyone safe,” the spokesperson said, adding that they wanted to ensure Stannington residents had followed “all processes and risk assessments”. When working with explosive pipes.

“When we carried out the first repairs, there was no risk of asbestos in the air thanks to the clamp we used to secure the pipe and the measures we took to resolve the problem.”

About a month after the initial repair, a team of specialists came in to remove the damaged section of the pipe. Yorkshire Water added that it does not regularly test water for the presence of asbestos, in line with World Health Organization guidelines. 

In Stannington residents fear a new explosion. Water industry data shows that local conditions – a pressurized system, a growing population, aging pipes and soft water – can be factors that increase this risk.

Stannington is not the only area at risk of future pipe failures, according to a 2020 report by UK Water Industry Research (UKWIR). Around 60% of the 50,000km of asbestos-cement water pipes in the UK and Ireland were installed more than 50 years ago, meaning many of them have reached the age of failure. These figures have been confirmed by surveys carried out by all water companies in the UK and some pipes are believed to be over a hundred years old. Most UK water companies say asbestos cement pipes were installed in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

The UKWIR National Failure Database, which looks at when and how pipes fail, shows that pipes installed after 1960 suffer the highest levels of deterioration. The report warns that the incidence of these pipe bursts is increasing at a rate of 28% every decade. However, replacing the asbestos-cement water pipes currently used in the UK and Ireland could cost between £5 billion and £8 billion ($6 billion to $10 billion).

The UKWIR reports that similar cases of broken pipes can be seen in Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

Anxiety and uncertainty continues for Stannington residents. As the debate over asbestos and clean water rages around the world, all they can do is wait and hope for relief.

*This is part one of a two-part investigation. The second part, scheduled for publication in February 2024, addresses the growing global problem of asbestos waste.

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