Consider this - asbestos is one of the most potent carcinogens known to man. Yet, it is used in our most common building material - concrete. Asbestos is present in millions of apartments, buildings, schools, and homes. It even seeps in through your drinking water.

Asbestos Coated Concrete Water Pipes

A recent survey reported that asbestos-coated concrete water pipes are extensively used to distribute water, particularly in North America. Depending on the condition of these old pipes, people are regularly swallowing a few hundred, to hundreds of millions of asbestos fibers a day. Alarming levels of needle-like asbestos fibers have been detected in samples of drinking water across the US.

How to Deal with Asbestos Concrete Water Pipes

For the last 15-20 years, many cities in the US have routinely dug up asbestos-concrete pipes. In Connecticut, it is estimated that 900 million miles of asbestos laden concrete pipes are still being used to supply water to over 600,000 people. In the city of Woodstock NY, the concentration of asbestos was so high in 1985, that the town’s pipes were clogged. At that time, health officials warned citizens to limit showers and avoid drinking the water.

Unfortunately, denial seems to be the modus operandi when it comes to handling this national problem. Civic authorities believe that since the fibers are too small to be seen, nothing needs to be done. Meanwhile, millions of miles of pipes continue to crumble and break across the country exposing more and more people to the toxin.

Other Sources of Asbestos Containing Concrete

A recent roof repair project revealed that the concrete material used for roofing many houses and buildings in 1934 contained high concentrations of asbestos. Apparently, the mixture of concrete and asbestos, better known as soft concrete, was popular in the early 1900’s because the combination was more malleable and lighter to use than regular concrete.

However, these houses and buildings are potentially dangerous. When these structures are damaged and they need repair or demolition, they release substantial amounts of asbestos fibers into the environment. The removal of soft concrete requires extensive precautionary methods.

This means that even if your own house is free of soft concrete, you could be at risk if ANY house or building in your neighborhood used soft concrete. Even after three decades of precautions, asbestos-induced sickness and deaths are on the rise. If you suspect that you could be exposed to asbestos poisoning, you need to explore whether you are eligible for insurance coverage.