WC132 SeptOct 2023 - Magazine - Page 22
FEATURE
the European Union passed a resolution in 2013 recommending
ongoing monitoring, yet the World Health Organization, like
Health Canada, still lacks any standard for asbestos in drinking
water.
Health Canada does plan to review its stance on waterborne
asbestos. Health Canada spokesperson Mark Johnson told Water
Canada the department expects to assess its drinking water
guideline for asbestos later this year, in collaboration with the
provinces and territories. “The reassessment will include a careful
review of any available exposure data, such as monitoring results
of asbestos in drinking water from Canadian cities. It will also
review studies on the impacts of ingested asbestos on human
health,” Johnson said. He added that public consultation is currently targeted for late 2024 and, if Health Canada determines
a change is warranted, it will update its guideline and consider
developing a maximum acceptable concentration or limit for
asbestos in drinking water.
Pipes of peril?
While the science has been quiet, the issue of waterborne asbestos received a spike in media attention earlier this year when
CTV News devoted an entire episode to it on its current affairs
program W5. The program identified 85 Canadian municipalities where asbestos-cement pipes continue to convey drinking
water and offered an interactive online map and chart ranking
the amount of pipe and the percentage it represented in each
overall system. The Village of Millstream B.C. ranked highest,
at 68 per cent, though it has just 29 kilometres of affected pipe,
whereas Prince George BC, second highest at 67 per cent, has
385 kilometres of pipe. While Edmonton and Winnipeg have
asbestos in just 25 per cent of their pipes, this amounts to 1,000
and 721 kilometres, respectively, in length.
W5 also reported test results it conducted of tap water
drawn in Regina and Winnipeg, with what would appear to
be alarmingly high rates of fibres. Water Canada approached
those two cities, and several others with significant volumes or
concentrations of asbestos-cement piping, and all responded
with brief written statements noting that they follow all
applicable drinking water guidelines, and that Health Canada
has not set any maximum contaminant levels for asbestos in
water. A spokesperson with the City of Regina added that
the city completes annual voluntary water quality testing
as outlined in the Guideline for Canadian Drinking Water
Quality and has not detected any measurable amount of
asbestos. City of Winnipeg communications coordinator Laura
Marquardson said her city includes all mains in its annual
capital water main renewal program, regardless of material type.
Winnipeg also uses orthophosphate to stabilize the interior
of pipes for lead control, and this coating also reduces the
potential for asbestos fibre release, Marquardson added.
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In Edmonton, EPCOR, a municipal-owned utility handling
water and wastewater services, said it sampled 14 locations
across its drinking water system in 2018 and found no detectable chrysotile or amphibole asbestos fibres. “Asbestos testing
or monitoring in drinking water is not required by our regulator, however we plan to repeat this testing later this year as a
proactive measure,” an EPCOR spokesperson said. The spokesperson added that EPCOR monitors its asbestos-cement mains
as part of an overall asset management program and replaces
any reaching the end of their service life. Claire Thwaites, senior
communications advisor with the City of Prince George, said the
majority of asbestos-cement pipe installations occurred from the
1960s through the 1980s when city boundaries expanded rapidly. The greatest threat to fibres entering the water system is when
the pipes are cut during repair or removal, Thwaites said. “As a
result, municipal utilities follow strict procedures to mitigate or
eliminate the release of fibres.”
The Canadian Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA)
acknowledges Health Canada’s current guidance, and executive
director Robert Haller says the situation is best handled by
replacing pipes as they age and deteriorate. Still, Haller says he
would like to see fresh research. “A lot of this has been based on
older research and it hasn’t been looked at in a while,” he says.
“We want to provide safe water, but we need to work through
a scientific process, so we strongly encourage Health Canada to
look at it and either reconfirm what we know right now or provide new evidence that would set us in a new direction.”
Should the need arise to urgently replace potable water pipes,
it won’t be without precedent. “We used to put in lead pipes,
and now we know we’ve got to replace lead,” Haller says. “So, if
we get evidence that says asbestos-cement has to go immediately,
we’ll deal with that too.” On the other hand, Haller is also well
aware that municipal infrastructure costs can quickly add up.
Not only are many communities replacing lead pipes, they’re also
implementing costly measures to mitigate impacts on infrastructure from climate change, and treating and managing a range of
waterborne pollutants, including PFAS.
Haller says the CWWA is collecting best practices to share
with its members. “These are things most of them are already
doing,” Haller explains. “Confirming that you have a clear
inventory of where any asbestos-cement pipes are—and their
condition. And then working on a pipe replacement program,
following protocols when you do your changes.” Haller says it’s
important to share as much information as possible publicly to
allay unnecessary fears and maintain confidence in municipal tap
water. “There are so many issues facing municipal utilities right
now that we have to prioritize these based on scientific evidence
and the direction of the guidelines.”
For resources visit watercanada.net/so23resources
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