National Drinking Water Database
National Drinking Water Database - Chemical Contaminants
Asbestos
Status: Regulated - EPA has established a maximum legal limit in tapwater for this contaminant.
Asbestos is a mineral fiber introduced into water by the dissolution of asbestos-containing minerals and from decay of asbestos cement in water mains. [read more]
Detected |
Found above health guidelines |
Found above legal limit |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| States | 20 |
5 |
5 |
| Water utilities | 103 |
5 |
5 |
| People Served | 1,512,800 |
35,873 |
35,873 |
Health Concerns for Asbestos:
- Cancer
- Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
- Persistence and bioaccumulation
- Allergies/immunotoxicity
- Biochemical or cellular level changes
- Ecotoxicology
Asbestos Exposure by State
Water utilities in 20 states have reported detecting Asbestos in treated tap water since 2004, according to EWG's analysis of water quality data supplied by state water agencies.
| State | Water Suppliers with Asbestos contamination | Water suppliers reporting Asbestos above health-based limits | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systems | Population | Systems | Population | |
| Massachusetts | 10 | 154,593 | 1 | 33,600 |
| Kentucky | 4 | 42,510 | 1 | 1,650 |
| New York | 14 | 505,228 | 1 | 450 |
| Ohio | 13 | 74,050 | 1 | 120 |
| California | 18 | 454,060 | 1 | 53 |
| Idaho | 7 | 93,075 | 0 | 0 |
| New Jersey | 4 | 70,301 | 0 | 0 |
| Florida | 4 | 38,835 | 0 | 0 |
| New Mexico | 7 | 33,761 | 0 | 0 |
| Arizona | 2 | 25,250 | 0 | 0 |
| Connecticut | 5 | 5,486 | 0 | 0 |
| Oregon | 4 | 4,389 | 0 | 0 |
| Nebraska | 3 | 2,470 | 0 | 0 |
| Delaware | 1 | 2,300 | 0 | 0 |
| Washington | 1 | 2,240 | 0 | 0 |
| Utah | 1 | 2,000 | 0 | 0 |
| Vermont | 1 | 1,950 | 0 | 0 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | 170 | 0 | 0 |
| Alaska | 1 | 130 | 0 | 0 |
| Illinois | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 103 | 1,512,800 | 5 | 35,873 |
The Most Polluted Communities
103 water utilities reported detecting Asbestos in tap water since 2004, according to EWG's analysis of water quality data supplied by state water agencies
Ranked by highest average Asbestos level
| Rank | System | Population Served | Positive test results of total reported tests | Average Level (Range) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pendleton Co Water District #1 / North Falmouth, KY | 1,650 | 1 of 1 | 19 MFL (19 MFL) |
| 2 | Braintree Water & Sewer Dept. MA | 33,600 | 1 of 1 | 10 MFL (10 MFL) |
| 3 | Countyline Mobile Home Park, Llc Pittsford, NY | 450 | 1 of 1 | 10 MFL (10 MFL) |
| 4 | Dedham Westwood Water Dist. Westwood, MA | 40,000 | 1 of 1 | 7 MFL (7 MFL) |
| 5 | Millsboro Water Department Millsboro, DE | 2,300 | 1 of 1 | 4.9 MFL (4.9 MFL) |
| 6 | Farmersville,village of Farmersville, OH | 980 | 1 of 1 | 3.08 MFL (3.08 MFL) |
| 7 | DE Anza Moon Valley Water Company Sonoma, CA | 500 | 1 of 1 | 2 MFL (2 MFL) |
| 8 | Green Acres Mutual Water Morgan Hill, CA | 53 | 25 of 45 | 1.48 MFL (0 to 8.7 MFL) |
| 9 | Rowley Water Department Rowley, MA | 5,393 | 1 of 1 | 1.45 MFL (1.45 MFL) |
| 10 | Florida Government U.A. Lehigh Plant Lehigh Acres, FL | 29,362 | 1 of 4 | 1.38 MFL (0 to 5.5 MFL) |
Health Based Limits for Asbestos
| Standard | Description | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum Contaminant Limit (MCL) | The enforceable standard which defines the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCLs are set as close to health-based limits (Maximum Contaminant Level Goals, or MCLGs) as feasible using the best available analytical and treatment technologies and taking cost into consideration. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. | 7 MFL |
| Maximum Contaminant Limit Goal (MCLG) | A non-enforceable health goal that is set at a level at which no known or anticipated adverse effect on the health of persons occurs and which allows an adequate margin of safety. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. | 7 MFL |
| California Public Health Goals | Defined by the State of California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) as the level of contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. For acutely toxic substances, levels are set at which scientific evidence indicates that no known or anticipated adverse effects on health will occur, plus an adequate margin-of safety. PHGs for carcinogens or other substances which can cause chronic disease shall be based solely on health effects without regard to cost impacts and shall be set at levels which OEHHA has determined do not pose any significant risk to health. | 7 MFL |
| EPA Human Health Water Quality Criteria | Water quality criteria set by the US EPA provide guidance for states and tribes authorized to establish water quality standards under the Clean Water Act (CWA) to protect human health. These are non-enforceable standards based upon exposure by both drinking water and the contribution of water contamination to other consumed foods. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. | 7 MFL |
| One in one million (10-6) Cancer Risk | The concentration of a chemical in drinking water corresponding to an excess estimated lifetime cancer risk of 1 in 1,000,000. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. | 7 MFL |
| One in ten thousand (10-4) Cancer Risk | The concentration of a chemical in drinking water corresponding to an excess estimated lifetime cancer risk of 1 in 10,000. Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. | 700 MFL |
Testing Summary for Asbestos
| Are tests routinely required for Asbestos by federal law? | Yes |
| Water suppliers reporting tests for Asbestos (2004-2009): | 3,204 of 47,576 |
| Average testing rate for water supplier reporting tests (2004-2009): | 0.2 per year |
Violation Summary for Asbestos
Data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency includes the following violations of federal standards for Asbestos since 2004
| Maximum Contaminant Level Exceedance Violations | 4 |
| Monitoring Violations | 71 |
| Reporting Violations | 0 |
Cancer
| Type of concern: | Reference: |
| Known human carcinogen | NTP Report on Carcinogens, 11th Edition |
| Known human carcinogen | Int'l Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) - Carcinogens |
| Known human carcinogen | Amer Conf of Gov't Industrial Hygienists - Carcinogens |
| Known human carcinogen | EPA Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) |
| Possible human carcinogen | California EPA Proposition 65 |
| Possible human carcinogen | National Library of Medicine HazMap |
| Cancer - strong evidence | Proposition 65 List of Carcinogens |
| Limited evidence of carcinogenicity | NIOSH Occupational Carcinogens |
| Cancer - limited evidence | CHE Toxicant and Disease Database |
| One or more in vitro tests non-mammalian cells show positive mutation results | RTECS®- Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine 1984 |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
| Type of concern: | Reference: |
| Known human respiratory toxicant | EPA Hazardous Air Pollutants |
| Known human respiratory toxicant | CHE Toxicant and Disease Database |
| Limited evidence of respiratory toxicity | US EPA, Air Risk Information Support Center, 1996 |
| One or more animal studies show classified as toxic effects at moderate doses (low dose studies may be unavailable for this ingredient) | EPA Toxic Release Inventory PBTs |
| Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
| Classified as a low human health priority | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
| Type of concern: | Reference: |
| Persistent, bioaccumulative in wildlife and humans | National Library of Medicine HazMap |
| Persistent, bioaccumulative in wildlife | Canada PBTs - Accelerated Reduction/Elimination of Toxics (ARET) |
| Persistent, bioaccumulative in wildlife | National Library of Medicine HazMap |
| Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
| Type of concern: | Reference: |
| Limited evidence of immune system toxicity or allergies | nternational Programme of Chemical Safety Environmental Health Criteria 180, 1996 |
Biochemical or cellular level changes
| Type of concern: | Reference: |
| Cancer - moderate evidence - immune system | CHE Toxicant and Disease Database |
Ecotoxicology
| Type of concern: | Reference: |
| Wildlife and environmental toxicity | EPA Clean Water Act - Priority Pollutants |
| Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Government, industry, academic studies and classifications
| government/industry list/academic study | appears on list as | classification(s) |
| Amer Conf of Gov't Industrial Hygienists - Carcinogens | ASBESTOS | •Confirmed human carcinogen (ACGIH classification A1) |
| EPA Clean Water Act - Priority Pollutants | ASBESTOS (FRIABLE) | •Priority water pollutant under the Clean Water Act |
| EPA Hazardous Air Pollutants | ASBESTOS | •Hazardous air pollutant under Clean Air Act |
| Int'l Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) - Carcinogens | ASBESTOS | •IARC Group 1: carcinogenic to humans (International Agency for Research on Carcinogens) |
| National Library of Medicine HazMap | ASBESTOS | •Restricted - Regulations that have banned or restricted the use of the agent: Since 1975 the use of asbestos in insulation materials has been banned in the U.S.A.; •Lung Cancer - Cancer of the lung caused by occupational exposures-all of these agents are in the IARC Group 1 (known human carcinogens): Yes; •Fibrogenic - Inducing tissue injury and fibrosis (scarring): Yes; •Bioaccumulates: Yes; •IARC Carcinogen - International Agency for Research on Cancer; classifies chemicals as established (1), probable (2a), or possible (2b) human carcinogens: Known Carcinogen; •Flammability (NFPA) - NFPA flammability code: 0 = will not burn; 1 = must be preheated; 2 = high ambient temp required; 3 = may ignite at ambient temp; 4 = burn readily: 0: will not burn; |
| Canada PBTs - Accelerated Reduction/Elimination of Toxics (ARET) | ASBESTOS | •Persistent toxicant under Canada's Accelerated Reduction/Elimination of Toxics program - targeted for elimination or reduction |
| EPA Toxic Release Inventory PBTs | ASBESTOS | •Toxic, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Toxics Release Inventory programs |
| EPA Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) | ASBESTOS | •Group A: Human carcinogen according (EPA classification) |
| NIOSH Occupational Carcinogens | ASBESTOS | •Potential occupational carcinogen according to NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) |
| NTP Report on Carcinogens, 11th Edition | ASBESTOS | •Known human carcinogen (National Toxicology Program classification) |
| California EPA Proposition 65 | ASBESTOS | •Carcinogen: California Proposition 65 |
| US EPA, Air Risk Information Support Center, 1996 | ASBESTOS (FRIABLE) | •Respiratory toxicity hazards: suspected |
| nternational Programme of Chemical Safety Environmental Health Criteria 180, 1996 | ASBESTOS (FRIABLE) | •Immunotoxicity hazards: suspected |
| Proposition 65 List of Carcinogens | ASBESTOS (FRIABLE) | •Cancer hazards: recognized |
| Environment Canada Domestic Substance List | ASBESTOS | •This chemical was deemed a low human health priority and was NOT flagged by CEPA for further attention. The chemical was flagged for suspected persistence. |
| Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics | ASBESTOS | • o |
| RTECS®- Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine 1984 | ASBESTOS | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Mutation in Micro-organism (Escherichia coli ) |
references
| government/industry list/academic study | reference |
| Amer Conf of Gov't Industrial Hygienists - Carcinogens | ACGIH (American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists) 2008. ACGIH cancer classification system. www.acgih.org. |
| EPA Clean Water Act - Priority Pollutants | |
| EPA Hazardous Air Pollutants | EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 2005. Office of Air. The 112(b)1 Hazardous Air Pollutants List (as modified). Last modified: 12 Dec 2005. |
| Int'l Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) - Carcinogens | IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer). 2008. Overall Evaluations of Carcinogenicity to Humans, as evaluated in IARC Monographs Volumes 1-99 (a total of 935 agents, mixtures and exposures). |
| National Library of Medicine HazMap | NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents. |
| Canada PBTs - Accelerated Reduction/Elimination of Toxics (ARET) | EC (Environment Canada). 1994. Accelerated Reduction/Elimination of Toxics (ARET). ARET substance list of persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals. |
| EPA Toxic Release Inventory PBTs | EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 1999. Toxics Release Inventory Program. PBT Chemical Rule. |
| EPA Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) | EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 2008. Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). Evidence for human carcinogenicity based on 1986-2005 guidelines. |
| NIOSH Occupational Carcinogens | NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health). 2006. NIOSH Carcinogens List (Potential occupational carcinogens). http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npotocca.html. |
| NTP Report on Carcinogens, 11th Edition | NTP (National Toxicology Program). 2005. Report on Carcinogens, Eleventh Edition; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Toxicology Program. |
| California EPA Proposition 65 | California EPA (California Environmental Protection Agency). 9/2008. Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986. Chemicals known to the State to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. |
| Scorecard.org Toxicity Information | US EPA, Air Risk Information Support Center. Health Effects Notebook for Hazardous Air Pollutants. http://www.epa.gov/ttnatw01/hlthef/hapindex.html, A Relational Database of Hazardous Chemicals and Occupational Diseases. Browse Haz-Map by Adverse Effects http://hazmap.nlm.nih.gov/hazmapadv.html, Klaassen, C., M. Amdur and J. Doull (eds.). Casarett and Doull's Toxicology. The Basic Science of Poisons, 5th Ed. Pergamon Press, NY. 1996., LaDou, J. (ed.). Occupational Medicine. Appleton & Lange, Norwalk, CN. 1990., Lu, F.C. Basic Toxicology. 2nd Edition. 1991., National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances. See Environmental Defense's Suspect Hazard Identification documentation. |
| Scorecard.org Toxicity Information | nternational Programme of Chemical Safety Environmental Health Criteria 180. Principles and Methods for Assessing Direct Immunotoxicity Associated with Exposure to Chemicals. World Health Organization. Geneva, 1996. (Table 1: Examples of compounds that are immunotoxic for humans or rodents). |
| Scorecard.org Toxicity Information | Proposition 65 List of Carcinogens (July 2004) can be obtained from http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/prop65_list/Newlist.html. |
| Environment Canada Domestic Substance List | EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry. |
| Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics | AOEC (Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics). 2009. AEOC exposures codes and asthmagen designation. |
| RTECS®- Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine 1984 | RTECS®- Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine. (Academic Press, Inc., 1 E. First St., Duluth, MN 55802) V.1- 177,343,1984 |
"RTECS®" is a United States trademark owned and licensed under authority of the U.S. Government, by and through MDL Information Systems, Inc.