Asbestos News

Council members in the UK regions of Bath and North East Somerset are reportedly planning to approve a plan to dump up to 645,000 tons of asbestos at a quarry near Chew Valley Lake.

According to This Is Somerset, Bristol Water - the company that serves some parts of Somerset - has voiced its concerns that dumping asbestos near the quarry could have harmful effects on drinking water.

"The study area presented in all of the reports is limited and does not make clear the fact that there is a major reservoir 1,500 [meters] to the west that provides over 50 million liters of drinking water to the surrounding area," the company wrote in a letter of objection.

While members of a local planning committee reportedly found that any potential risk to the drinking water supply was minimal, many local citizens have also decided to campaign against the decision, the news source reports.

Even tiny amounts of asbestos can pose major risks as exposure to the harmful substance can lead to the development of serious illnesses such as lung cancer, asbestosis and malignant mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer that attacks the tissues surrounding a majority of the body's internal organs.