How to filter asbestos from drinking water. Tips from water filtration experts!

In the search for clean and safe drinking water, the leftovers of our industrial past hang around as hidden threats under our cities and towns. Asbestos, once praised for its fire-resistant qualities and widely used in construction and utilities, has been revealed as a dangerous material that can cause serious health problems when inhaled.

But what about the presence of asbestos in our drinking water? This article looks into the not-so-talked-about issue of asbestos contamination in drinking water, focusing on its main source: old AC (Asbestos-Cement) pipes that have been used as water mains since the early 20th century. With tips from water filtration experts, we'll uncover how to filter out asbestos from our water supply.

Learn about the historical use of asbestos, its risks, and the smart solutions available to tackle this important problem.

 

The use of asbestos in the UK

Have you heard of AC Piping?

Not many people have heard of it. Invented in the early years of the 20^th century, AC piping was used extensively for water mains from 1945 into the 80s.

AC pipes are made from cement, nothing too controversial, and asbestos, a type of mineral.

Now, I’m sure, the alarm bells are ringing in your head – “isn’t asbestos dangerous?” you may be asking.

AC piping stopped being used in the 1970s when it became clear that asbestos, when inhaled, is incredibly dangerous to health causing lung conditions such as asbestosis, cancer, and mesothelioma.

Asbestos has been used by people for up to 4000 years, primarily due to its fire-resistant qualities, but it’s use grew rapidly in the industrial era of the mid-19^th century.

By the 1930s it was becoming clear that asbestos dust, when inhaled, was the cause of early deaths of workers involved in manufacturing goods with asbestos in them.

All sorts of things had asbestos in it, yarns, ceramics, and fabrics – even candle wicks!

But as the built environment expanded quickly from the late Victorian era onwards asbestos became ubiquitous in the construction industry.

Some of the most recent use in the UK was in Artex (small amounts of white asbestos) for decorative ceilings in the 1980s.

It’s no longer used in most developed countries such as the UK, EU countries, Australia, New Zealand. However, the USA still makes AC pipes.

India, Russia, China, and Indonesia still use asbestos extensively.

We’re fortunate in the United Kingdom that asbestos was banned completely very much earlier than other parts of the world, but we still have a legacy of older buildings and infrastructure that contains asbestos.

The effects of asbestos due to inhalation are now very well recognised, and all handling to remove it is very strictly controlled.

That’s a good introduction to the history and risks of asbestos, but how does that relate to asbestos in the water?

There’s a growing awareness that the working life of all those AC pipes carrying our public water supply is at or near its end.

A recent article by BBC Future has recently highlighted how we may see this issue catapult up the public health agenda over the coming few years.

 

Is asbestos in water dangerous?

Let’s delve into some research here.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) does not think that asbestos in water is of great concern currently.

According to its scientific briefing document published in December 2021 (available for download) the UK water supply had asbestos concentrations between “nondectabale” and 1.5MFL (Million Fibres per Litre).

95% of the fibres are smaller than 2 µm (microns) in length mainly from naturally occurring sources such as underground water courses.

Studies quoted in that briefing state that asbestos from AC pipes in the UK are considered very low, and the small size is considerably shorter and of greater diameter than the fibres found to be the cause of fibrosis.

Having said that, asbestos fibres from AC pipes are longer than that form the natural erosion of rock.

Researchers Ma & Kang (2017) found that the majority of these fibres were between 5 and 10 μm in length.

The effects of asbestos in drinking water are considered by WHO to be very low risk, with most asbestos consumed, which is non-soluble, being excreted.

Tests in rats found that small amounts of asbestos accumulated in the liver, and very few fibres remained in the stomach, intestines, and blood after 60 days.

While it’s impossible to say there are no toxic effects of asbestos exposure through drinking water, the greatest risk is from inhalation.

And the fibres found in water are of size and shape that are low risk even when inhaled.

However, taking all that into account, the science is developing and understanding may change in the future.

 

How does water get contaminated with asbestos?

As we’ve already seen asbestos occurs naturally and gets into the water through the erosion of rocks.

It can also get into the water supply through poorly maintained pipes and buildings where water may be exposed due to breaks in the pipes.

As the BBC Future article referred to, there are old AC pipes that are beginning to break down having reached the end of their useful working lives.

The risk is that as the pipes fracture small particles will be released into the mains water supply.  

Although the biggest risk is to the maintenance workforce who have to repair the pipes if dry asbestos dust becomes airborne and they inhale it.

 

Possible health risks from asbestos in drinking water

The risks from drinking water with asbestos remain to be clarified further than we’ve already covered, but of course that may change in the future.

When larger asbestos fibres are inhaled, they cause scarring and other damage to the lungs.

That can lead to asbestosis, which is unlikely to be possible in the stomach and gut.

However, long term exposure to irritants is a common cause of some cancers so this may be a recognised problem in the future.

 

Filtering asbestos out of water: can water filters remove asbestos?

Asbestos is not soluble in water; it remains a particle and therefore is easy to filter out if you know what size the particles are.

The good news is that the dangerous types of asbestos fibres are bigger than 5 microns so a filter of that rating is going to do a good job for you.

That also means you have a huge amount of choice of various types of water filters that will also improve the quality of your water in addition to removing asbestos.

 

How to filter asbestos from water

Filtering asbestos from water is relatively simple if you have the right water filtration system, so let’s give you a few options.

First, just about any filter with a micron rating of 5 microns or smaller is what you need. But you can go much smaller relatively inexpensively.

We’ll group our recommendations of water filters that will remove asbestos into three types of application: whole house, kitchen tap, and drinking water filter.

Whole house

Find here our recommendations for whole house water filter systems designed to effectively remove asbestos from your water, ensuring a safer home environment.

• Doby Sediment Filter – 1 micron - this is a very simple whole house filter that removes all particles, including asbestos, bigger than 1 micron. Suitable for a home with up to 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.
• Doby Sediment Filter – 0.2 micron - a nanofilter that removes all particles of asbestos bigger than 0.2 microns. It also removes lots of other things. Also suitable for the bigger home.
• Doby Water Purifier – 5 and 0.2 micron - cleans everything except good minerals from your water – a great choice for super quality water for you entire house (up to 4 bedrooms/2 bathrooms).

Kitchen taps

Here are our recommendations for water filters for your kitchen tap that will remove asbestos and other particles effectively:

• Moby Sediment Filter – 1 micron - this is a very simple filter for your kitchen cold tap that removes all particles including asbestos bigger than 1 micron.
• Moby Sediment Filter – 0.2 micron - a nanofilter that removes all particles bigger than 0.2 microns from the water to your kitchen tap. It also removes lots of other things.
• Moby Water Purifier – 5 and 0.2 micron - cleans everything except good minerals from your water – a great choice for super quality water from the kitchen tap that tastes great.

Drinking water filters

Find our drinking water filters recommendations to remove asbestos here:

COMING SOON!

 

How our water filtration experts can help with removing asbestos from drinking water

At Fountain Filters we are water filtration specialists and not medical professionals, if you have any specific health concerns with regard to asbestos please consult your doctor.

For any other guidance on how to remove asbestos or any other material from water, we will be happy to help. Please give us a call on 01352 838281, or send us a message on our helpdesk – we’ll be happy to be of assistance.

 

Image by Monika: from Pixabay