Asbestos News

An official in Northern Ireland recently found that a utility has no plans to replace a number of asbestos containing pipes.

Mid-Ulster Member of the Legislative Assembly Patsy McGlone was told by Northern Ireland Water that water mains on the roads in the Dungannon, Cookstown and Magherafelt districts will not be replaced, according to the Tyrone Times.

Another official said that he got assurance from the utility that the pipes don't present any health threat.

"I have been advised by Northern Ireland Water (NIW) that, as the use of asbestos cement water mains for the supply of drinking water is not a health concern, there is no specific program to replace them," the minister told the news source. "Asbestos cement water mains will be replaced progressively as part of NIW's ongoing Water Mains Rehabilitation Programme."

Asbestos was commonly used as a material in the construction of pipes but it has been known for nearly 50 years now that exposure to the substance is responsible for the development of a number of serious illnesses such as asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, a rare and deadly cancer that typically affects the membrane surrounding the lungs.