Significance of asbestos in drinking water and the use of asbestos-cement pipes

Typical levels of chrysotile asbestos in water are in the range 0.2 to 2 million fibers per liter of water, although there are several cases of where the levels are hundreds of millions of fibers per liter. As a result of extensive animal feeding studies, a series of human epidemiological studies (carried out where asbestos levels in potable water are elevated) and the evaluation of occupational exposure studies to asbestos, it is now possible to come to some very firm conclusions regarding the health implications of ingesting asbestos in potable water. This is because the animal studies are wholly negative and the epidemiological studies provide no supporting evidence for any health effects; also very recently despite the massive exposures to asbestos in past occupational situations, no firm evidence of gastro-intestinal cancer can be established.