James Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 1089: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will allay the concerns of many people that asbestos water pipes are unsafe for the end user; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19810/07]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Asbestos cement piping formerly used in local authority watermains was required to meet the specifications defined in Irish Standard 188 and, in common with international practice, to include bitumen lining and coating. The main health risk associated with asbestos products relates to inhalation of airborne asbestos particles. The potential exposure to such risk has led to a decline in the use of asbestos materials generally and asbestos cement pipes are no longer used in Ireland for new public water mains or sewer pipes.

The World Health Organisation's position in relation to asbestos in drinking water is that there is no consistent evidence that ingested asbestos is hazardous to health and that there is no need to establish a health based guideline value for asbestos in drinking water.