'Canadians should be very concerned about their drinking water': W5 investigates asbestos cement pipes
Did you know there are asbestos cement pipes underground across Canada? I didn’t until I started researching this story. I actually had no idea what asbestos cement pipes were. All I knew was that asbestos fibres can be deadly, especially if inhaled.
So it was to my surprise when I learned that these pipes, installed decades ago and all nearing end-of-life, were still not only in use but were also delivering tap water to Canadians. And as these pipes deteriorate and fail — they leach asbestos into the water.
This came as a complete shock for Michael Abercrombie — a plumber who used to work with asbestos cement pipes in the ‘70s and ‘80s. And at the time he used these pipes only for sewers and storm drains around Collingwood, Ont. — never for drinking water.
- Read further for interactive map and chart of 85 Canadian communities that use asbestos cement pipes
"That seems unbelievable to me," he said after I told him they were and still are used to deliver tap water.
"The potential for it to come off that pipe… and then drink it," he said. "Why would you take that chance?"
You have to understand, Abercrombie recently had one of his lungs removed after he was diagnosed with mesothelioma. All those years of working with asbestos, he believes, took a treacherous toll. He’s well aware of the dangers of inhaling asbestos.
Michael Abercrombie used to work with and install asbestos cement pipes around Collingwood, Ont. for sewer and storm drains decades ago. He's shocked those pipes were ever used to deliver drinking water. (Kirk Neff/W5 photo credit)
The science, however, on ingesting or drinking water with asbestos is still hotly contested. But there is a growing body of research that suggests ingesting these fibres could elevate the risk of stomach and other gastrointestinal-related cancers.
Agostino Di Ciaula, a medical doctor and researcher in the department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology at Bari Poly Clinic in Italy, has published papers that suggest possible links between drinking water containing asbestos and gastro-intestinal cancers.
But he believes until there’s more data, as a precautionary measure, human exposure to asbestos in drinking water should be eliminated.
"Asbestos fibres should be absent in drinking water," he said. "If a pipe is responsible for the delivery of asbestos fibres in water, the pipe should be replaced as soon as possible. A small concentration may represent a chronic exposure to a well-known toxic agent."
ROUGHLY 90% OF RESPONDENTS HAVE ASBESTOS PIPES
W5 spent several months trying to get to the bottom of two things: Where are these pipes, and is there asbestos in Canada’s water?
To answer the first question, W5 reached out and asked over 100 towns, districts and municipalities what types of pipes were in use, and whether there were maps of these networks.
Roughly 90 per cent of the places that responded still used asbestos cement pipes.
Thousands of kilometres are still underground.
We put all that information into an interactive map and chart so you can see if these pipes are in your community. (There are likely many more communities with asbestos cement pipes.)
- Map and chart created by Jesse Tahirali. Can't see the map and chart above? Click here
Unlike the European Union, which wants its member states to create a comprehensive plan to remove these pipes, we found there was little to no federal push for that here.
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities said in an email it was up to provinces, municipalities and Indigenous communities how it prioritized spending on water infrastructure projects.
NO LIMITS ON ASBESTOS IN DRINKING WATER
Health Canada maintains there is no consistent evidence drinking or ingesting asbestos is harmful so there is currently no maximum limit that can be in Canadian water.
And with no maximum limit, the agency said, there was no need for testing. That’s likely why very few communities in Canada currently test for asbestos in water.
Julian Branch, a former journalist who is now an activist, has been trying to alert all levels of government about this problem for years, and says there’s a "complete and utter lack of political accountability."
The Regina resident doesn’t understand why there isn’t wide-spread testing and more urgency on the issue.
"Until asbestos is regulated in Canadian water, Canadians should be very concerned about their drinking water," Branch said. "But it’s up to the politicians today to find a solution. We can't just keep pretending it's not there. We have to find a solution to this before it's too late."
Maximum limit or not, it still had us wondering whether there was asbestos in Canada’s drinking water. So we got samples from two cities and sent them for testing.
To find out the results, watch "Something in the Water" in our video player above or on our YouTube channel.
With files from Kathlene Calahan, Riley Nimens, Molly Thomas and Tainted Water Investigative Consortium
Correction
The map has been updated to correct the location of Millstream, a community located approximately 3.5 km north of the District of Ucluelet in B.C.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
BREAKING 15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members today during a ceremony at British Columbia's legislature cenotaph commemorating the Second World War's Battle of the Atlantic.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
As storms moves across Texas, 1 child dies after being swept away in floodwaters
A child in Texas died Sunday after being swept away in floodwaters as storms swept across the state.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.
Amid climate change warnings, Canadians lukewarm on electric vehicles
Amid scientists' warnings that nations need to transition away from fossil fuels to limit climate change, Canadians are still lukewarm on electric vehicles, according to a study conducted by Nanos Research for CTV News.
Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people have died and two have been hospitalized after a speeding car struck a tree and landed on another vehicle in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Local Spotlight
Twin Alberta Ballet dancers retire after 15 years with company
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
Here's how one of Sask.'s largest power plants was knocked out for 73 days, and what it took to fix it
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
Quebec police officer anonymously donates kidney, changes schoolteacher's life
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Canada's oldest hat store still going strong after 90 years
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Road closed in Oak Bay, B.C., so elephant seal can cross
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
B.C. breweries take home awards at World Beer Cup
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Kitchener family says their 10-year-old needs life-saving drug that cost $600,000
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.