Asbestos Products

Cement Pipes

Cement pipes often were made with asbestos in the cement. As long as the cement remains intact and in good condition, there is no danger from the asbestos. However, there are certain occupations that are at increased risk of asbestos exposure because they work directly with cement pipes, cisterns and viaducts. These occupations include plumbers and pipe fitters who install, remove and repair pipe systems, including heating and cooling systems in buildings that were constructed during the past fifty to eighty years when asbestos was the most used.

Plumbers and pipefitters may be exposed to asbestos when repairing or replacing pipes and plumbing that were installed during the time that asbestos was the king of building construction materials. They may be exposed while removing deteriorating insulation around heating, cooling and plumbing pipes. Other asbestos products that may be encountered by plumbers and pipe fitters include asbestos mud, asbestos caulking or asbestos sleeves or wrapping.

There is another danger from asbestos laced cement pipes, unfortunately. That threat arises from nearly 400,000 miles of asbestos cement pipes that carry water to taps all over the country. In 1982, a Department of Health and Human Services survey of 538 U.S. cities found that 65% of them had asbestos in their water. Of those, 9% had levels of asbestos that, said health experts, should have caused concern. The real cause, said the companies that made the cement asbestos pipes in the first place, was acidic water flowing through the pipes, which was disintegrating the cement and causing the release of asbestos fibers into the water.

Typical of the reaction to other asbestos risks, there has been little outcry about asbestos cement water pipes. When protests have been made, the officials have pointed to the fact that no adequate studies exist to show that drinking water contaminated with asbestos leads to mesothelioma. Unfortunately, considering the length of time that asbestos often takes to cause the damage leading to mesothelioma, those studies may not exist yet because cement asbestos pipes are a time bomb just waiting till deterioration and time take their toll.

While the World Health Organization and other organizations maintain that the danger of mesothelioma from drinking water with high concentrations of asbestos is slight, the danger still exists for those who are replacing those pipes in plumbing and waste systems throughout the country. When the pipes are cut and removed from the ground, there is a high probability of asbestos fibers being released into the air and inhaled by the workers on the road construction crews.

If you have been exposed to asbestos through your work or because of asbestos in your environment, and you have concerns about your health, be sure that your doctor is aware of your history of asbestos exposure. If you have already been diagnosed with mesothelioma or another asbestos related illness, you may benefit from contacting a lawyer with extensive experience in resolving asbestos and mesothelioma related claims.

Since the mid-1960s and early 1970s, thousands of people have recovered losses and been awarded settlements from the companies that made products with asbestos and failed to warn their employees and customers of the dangers of breathing asbestos dust. Find out what your rights are if you have been exposed to asbestos because of asbestos cement pipes or another asbestos containing product.

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