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CHRYSOTILE ASBESTOS FIBERS IN DRINKING WATER FROM ASBESTOS-CEMENT PIPE
Citation:
Kanarek, M., P. Conforti, AND L. Jackson. CHRYSOTILE ASBESTOS FIBERS IN DRINKING WATER FROM ASBESTOS-CEMENT PIPE. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-81/563.
Description:
Chrysotile asbestos fiber counts were compared in drinking water samples taken before and after flow through asbestos-cement pipes in the San Francisco Bay area. The drinking water supplies in that area are chemically nonaggressive by the standard measures. In one major distribution system, mean chrysotile counts were 115 times greater in drinking water after flow through the pipe. This demonstration of substantial increases in asbestos fiber counts in nonaggressive drinking water raises questions as to the validity of aggressiveness indexes for prediction of fiber release from asbestos-cement pipes.