We want straight answers on asbestos cement water pipes in Regina

A recent investigative news program pointed to a huge problem with Canadian politics. Sometimes the politicians forget what the real priorities are. On March 25, CTV’s W5 produced a story about asbestos cement water pipes. I approached the program after discovering that at least 600 kilometres of the water distribution system in my city of Regina, Sask., is made of asbestos cement, and being continually assured by the city that the water is safe to drink. After seven years of testing the water for asbestos, the city says the results have all come back as “non-detectable.” Yet, one test of Regina water at one location by W5 shows there are 370-thousand asbestos fibres in a litre of Regina water. W5 also conducted tests in Winnipeg and found asbestos in the water there, as well. The issue of asbestos cement, or transite pipes as they are also known, is not common knowledge. Yet for decades, the pipes, which contain up to 20 per cent asbestos, were installed in communities across Canada. Many have reached the end of their lives and are deteriorating. In 2003, a new National Research Council (NRC) centre in Regina was announced. The Centre for Sustainable Infrastructure Research (CSIR) was a $30-million partnership between the federal government, the Government of Saskatchewan, the City of Regina, and the University of Regina. According to the news release, Regina was to be used as a “living laboratory.’’ Over the next seven years, CSIR would churn out 10 very specific studies on asbestos cement water pipes. The studies refer to asbestos fibres in water as a “health concern.” One 2010 NRC/CSIR study in particular says severely deteriorated asbestos cement water pipes release fibres into the water and “could pose a hazard of malignant tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and other organs in consumers.” Despite this, Health Canada does not regulate asbestos in water. The federal government maintains there is insufficient evidence to prove that ingesting asbestos is harmful. As a matter of fact, in a recent written response to two Canadian organizations—Prevent Cancer Now and the Canadian Environmental Law Association—Health Canada said the NRC reports “cannot be used as evidence that asbestos ingested through drinking water is a health concern. These reports are about infrastructure, namely addressing various aspects of asbestos-cement pipes.” The Health Canada response goes on to say “The reports are not focussed on health issues and studies cited in the reports have methodological limitations from a health perspective that prevent the study authors from estimating and drawing conclusions on health risks.” The NRC studies may not have been focussed on health issues, but world-class federal government scientists very clearly stated that asbestos fibres leaching from water pipes present a “health concern.” Surely Health Canada investigated further? W5 surveyed more than 100 communities to see what types of water pipes were in use. Roughly 90 per cent of those questioned still had asbestos cement pipes in the system. This sample is a fraction of Canadian communities still getting their water from asbestos cement pipes. Statistics Canada is currently conducting a federal/provincial/territorial/municipal survey asking “What was the total length in kilometres of asbestos cement water pipes as of Dec. 31, 2022?’’ The results are expected in late 2024. This will be an important step in determining the size and scale of the problem. Although that NRC/CSIR research centre produced close to a dozen very specific studies on asbestos cement water pipes before shuttering its doors, the government agency responsible appears to now have difficulty locating that data. In 2021, I wrote the NRC asking some very elementary questions about the old water pipes. I was dumbfounded when I received a response from the federal agency telling me that “NRC does not hold any data on asbestos cement water pipes.” Since the W5 program, Green Party Leader Elizabeth May has authorized a petition demanding action on these potentially toxic pipes. Among other things it calls on the Government of Canada to “Take urgent steps to assess health risks of asbestos fibres in drinking water, in order for the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee to establish a water quality guideline.” I have to believe that once they are informed, Canadians who place a priority on safe, clean drinking water will sign the petition. Julian Branch sits on the board of Prevent Cancer Now. The Hill Times