WEBVTT NOTE Machine transcript of the film's sound; not yet checked. 1 00:00:25.740 --> 00:00:28.940 The world has never been and never will be free from risk. 2 00:00:29.140 --> 00:00:31.780 It is inescapable. It is life itself. 3 00:00:32.100 --> 00:00:37.260 And since the dawn of time, man has accepted it as a normal part of his daily activity. 4 00:00:38.440 --> 00:00:44.020 The perception of risk varies from situation to situation, from individual to individual. 5 00:00:44.400 --> 00:00:49.020 What one person considers safe, another may perceive as downright foolish, 6 00:00:49.260 --> 00:00:53.300 illustrating that the perception of risk is subjective, emotional, 7 00:00:53.300 --> 00:00:59.620 and often has little basis in fact. All risks have one thing in common. 8 00:00:59.800 --> 00:01:00.800 They can 9 00:01:00.340 --> 00:01:04.380 be measured. There is a name for this measurement. It's called probability. 10 00:01:05.280 --> 00:01:09.600 Something is judged safe if its probability of risk is acceptable. 11 00:01:10.020 --> 00:01:11.020 However, 12 00:01:10.800 --> 00:01:13.940 safe does not necessarily mean free from risk. 13 00:01:14.320 --> 00:01:16.840 A seemingly safe six-minute canoe 14 00:01:16.840 --> 00:01:22.000 ride, for example, carries the same risk of death as a 500 mile per hour commuter 15 00:01:22.000 --> 00:01:26.460 flight from Washington DC to New York City traveling the same distance by 16 00:01:26.460 --> 00:01:32.300 automobile the risk increases fivefold very few 17 00:01:32.300 --> 00:01:33.780 things to which we are exposed 18 00:01:33.780 --> 00:01:39.980 are zero risks but like the automobile and electricity there are non harmful 19 00:01:39.980 --> 00:01:44.900 ways to use potentially harmful things it's simply a matter of probabilities 20 00:01:46.520 --> 00:01:51.280 few risks are as well publicized and fraught with anxiety as the risk of 21 00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:57.800 cancer. While the fear of cancer alters our perception of risk, it cannot, does 22 00:01:57.800 --> 00:02:03.630 not, alter the probability of risk. Cancer, an 23 00:02:03.630 --> 00:02:05.950 unrestrained growth of cells, is not a 24 00:02:05.950 --> 00:02:09.710 single disease but a collection of many diseases caused by agents called 25 00:02:09.710 --> 00:02:13.390 carcinogens. Asbestos is a carcinogen. 26 00:02:13.630 --> 00:02:16.690 It is not alone. It shares this distinction 27 00:02:16.690 --> 00:02:21.230 with a growing list of common and exotic substances. As a matter of fact, nearly 28 00:02:21.230 --> 00:02:26.570 300 organic or inorganic chemicals, many of them known or potential carcinogens, 29 00:02:26.790 --> 00:02:28.890 have been identified in drinking water. 30 00:02:29.890 --> 00:02:35.850 Fact, not speculation, which has prompted a much closer examination of all pipe materials 31 00:02:35.850 --> 00:02:42.210 in common use to determine if any are above suspicion, since all contain toxic materials. 32 00:02:42.730 --> 00:02:48.730 The critical question with any toxic material is, at what exposure level does it represent 33 00:02:48.730 --> 00:02:49.730 a hazard? 34 00:02:49.450 --> 00:02:54.810 Medical research determines this by a concept known as dose response. 35 00:02:55.350 --> 00:02:56.850 The principle is rather 36 00:02:56.850 --> 00:03:01.570 straightforward. For every dose, there is a proportionate biological response. 37 00:03:02.050 --> 00:03:03.050 Alcohol 38 00:03:02.770 --> 00:03:08.510 is a familiar example. For every dose of martini you drink, you can anticipate 39 00:03:08.510 --> 00:03:09.510 a proportionate 40 00:03:09.450 --> 00:03:14.910 biological response. Let's add another wrinkle to this concept, and it's a common 41 00:03:14.910 --> 00:03:15.910 -sense wrinkle. 42 00:03:15.630 --> 00:03:20.930 There is a dose small enough which will result in no measurable response. 43 00:03:21.450 --> 00:03:23.050 This level is called 44 00:03:23.050 --> 00:03:26.670 a threshold. Threshold effects are common. 45 00:03:26.810 --> 00:03:29.770 We have thresholds for hearing, pain, heat, 46 00:03:29.910 --> 00:03:35.700 and martinis. Everything known about the potential hazards of 47 00:03:35.700 --> 00:03:37.100 asbestos indicates 48 00:03:37.100 --> 00:03:42.660 that it observes the rules of dose response. Therefore, a practical threshold 49 00:03:42.660 --> 00:03:44.000 or safe level 50 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:49.860 of exposure to asbestos must exist. If it did not, it would be difficult to reconcile 51 00:03:49.860 --> 00:03:55.140 the prevalence of asbestos in the environment with the absence of related diseases 52 00:03:55.700 --> 00:04:01.180 general population. Asbestos-bearing rock is found throughout the world. 53 00:04:01.760 --> 00:04:02.760 Geologists 54 00:04:02.420 --> 00:04:08.020 tell us that 470 million years ago, hot subterranean water dissolved rock layers 55 00:04:08.020 --> 00:04:09.020 containing iron, 56 00:04:09.000 --> 00:04:13.180 magnesium, and silica, creating veins of liquid minerals. 57 00:04:13.600 --> 00:04:15.020 As the earth cooled, 58 00:04:15.320 --> 00:04:20.040 these minerals crystallized into the fibrous ore we know today as asbestos. 59 00:04:21.200 --> 00:04:26.000 2,000 years ago, pharaohs and kings used this unique product of nature. 60 00:04:26.400 --> 00:04:27.400 Today, you 61 00:04:27.360 --> 00:04:31.180 don't have to be royalty to use asbestos. Practically everyone does. 62 00:04:31.480 --> 00:04:32.900 Over 3,000 63 00:04:32.900 --> 00:04:36.460 products use asbestos, usually in combination with other materials. 64 00:04:37.440 --> 00:04:38.940 With physical properties unmatched 65 00:04:38.940 --> 00:04:41.200 by any other natural or manmade material, 66 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:44.660 asbestos is irreplaceable for the micro reinforcement 67 00:04:44.660 --> 00:04:48.440 of high performance products like asbestos cement pipe. 68 00:04:49.240 --> 00:04:51.960 Comprising less than 20% of AC pipe, 69 00:04:52.280 --> 00:04:55.120 these incredibly strong fibers are not free, 70 00:04:55.580 --> 00:04:59.160 but encapsulated or locked in the cement binder. 71 00:04:59.960 --> 00:05:02.820 Picture, if you will, reinforcing rods in concrete. 72 00:05:02.820 --> 00:05:08.660 The distinction between free and bound asbestos is 73 00:05:08.660 --> 00:05:12.980 extremely important. Why? It determines the 74 00:05:12.980 --> 00:05:19.120 probability of fiber release, which in turn directly relates to the probability of exposure. 75 00:05:19.540 --> 00:05:25.760 It explains why asbestos cement pipe is a non-harmful use of asbestos. 76 00:05:25.900 --> 00:05:28.740 The ability of 77 00:05:28.740 --> 00:05:33.680 asbestos to subdivide into microscopically small fibers is the key 78 00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:38.520 to its biological availability. In other words, its ability to become air or 79 00:05:38.520 --> 00:05:43.500 waterborne and thereby inhaled or ingested. The biological effects of 80 00:05:43.500 --> 00:05:48.040 asbestos are believed to be a function of fiber shape and size rather than 81 00:05:48.040 --> 00:05:53.740 chemical composition. Generally, the longer and thinner the fiber, the greater the 82 00:05:53.740 --> 00:05:58.960 potential health risk. While the relationship between asbestos exposure 83 00:05:58.960 --> 00:06:03.440 and probability of risk is not a simple one, we do know this. 84 00:06:03.820 --> 00:06:04.880 The biological 85 00:06:04.880 --> 00:06:11.000 response to asbestos depends on dose and route of entry into the body, that is 86 00:06:11.000 --> 00:06:16.890 whether it is inhaled or ingested. Prolonged or heavy exposure 87 00:06:16.890 --> 00:06:17.890 to airborne 88 00:06:17.650 --> 00:06:22.190 asbestos can lead to asbestosis, a disease which impairs breathing. 89 00:06:22.850 --> 00:06:25.430 In the case of smokers, high risk of lung cancer. 90 00:06:25.570 --> 00:06:31.070 And finally, to a much lesser degree, mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the chest or 91 00:06:31.070 --> 00:06:32.070 abdominal cavity. 92 00:06:32.650 --> 00:06:38.290 To date, all identified occurrences of these diseases attributed to asbestos have involved 93 00:06:38.290 --> 00:06:42.030 exposures in or related to occupational settings. 94 00:06:43.570 --> 00:06:48.750 In contrast to inhalation, a cause and effect relationship between 95 00:06:48.750 --> 00:06:50.830 ingested asbestos and 96 00:06:50.830 --> 00:06:54.630 gastrointestinal or GI cancer does not exist. 97 00:06:55.550 --> 00:06:57.790 Everything from mice to baboons has 98 00:06:57.790 --> 00:07:01.590 been watered, forced fed, or dined at will on asbestos, 99 00:07:01.770 --> 00:07:04.490 as much as 6% of their total food intake. 100 00:07:05.010 --> 00:07:07.210 Result, no cancers. 101 00:07:09.420 --> 00:07:12.840 These then are the risks for exposure to asbestos. 102 00:07:13.440 --> 00:07:16.260 High for heavy or prolonged inhalation exposure, 103 00:07:16.260 --> 00:07:20.820 solely presumptive with no proven risk for ingestion. 104 00:07:22.240 --> 00:07:24.100 Regulatory agencies internationally 105 00:07:24.620 --> 00:07:30.000 have set safe levels of exposure to airborne asbestos based on the number of fibers longer 106 00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:35.380 than 5 micrometers. The levels established by the United States Occupational Safety and 107 00:07:35.380 --> 00:07:40.480 Health Administration are an eight-hour time-weighted average of two fibers per 108 00:07:40.480 --> 00:07:41.480 cubic centimeter 109 00:07:41.140 --> 00:07:47.340 of air, a peak or ceiling concentration of 10 fibers per cubic centimeter of air. 110 00:07:47.640 --> 00:07:53.580 A proposal to lower these levels to 0.5 and 5 fibers respectively 111 00:07:53.580 --> 00:07:54.820 is now under 112 00:07:54.820 --> 00:08:00.360 consideration. Let's compare the existing and proposed 113 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:02.340 exposure standards to fiber 114 00:08:02.340 --> 00:08:06.060 levels measured when field cutting or machining AC pipe. 115 00:08:06.840 --> 00:08:08.220 Independent industrial 116 00:08:08.220 --> 00:08:13.220 hygiene studies have confirmed that when recommended work practices are followed, 117 00:08:13.580 --> 00:08:19.520 fiber levels are not only far below the present two-fiber standard, but also meet 118 00:08:19.520 --> 00:08:20.520 the proposed 119 00:08:20.080 --> 00:08:24.120 one-half fiber standard. This should come as no surprise. 120 00:08:24.620 --> 00:08:26.540 Remember, the asbestos fiber 121 00:08:26.540 --> 00:08:32.340 is locked in the cement binder. The infrequency and short duration of 122 00:08:32.340 --> 00:08:33.920 field operations further 123 00:08:33.920 --> 00:08:39.860 reduce even these exposures. when recommended work practices are 124 00:08:39.860 --> 00:08:45.060 followed, the risk of working with AC pipe is virtually non-existent. 125 00:08:45.520 --> 00:08:46.520 Some of 126 00:08:46.380 --> 00:08:51.340 you are probably thinking that's a real plus, but what about waterborne asbestos? 127 00:08:51.380 --> 00:08:56.280 That's the real concern about AC pipe. Well, let's let the facts speak for 128 00:08:56.280 --> 00:09:01.640 themselves. The prevalence of asbestos in soil results in its presence in most 129 00:09:01.640 --> 00:09:06.500 waters of lake, river, and well origin, and in distribution systems whether 130 00:09:06.500 --> 00:09:12.160 fabricated of asbestos cement or other materials. Surveys by the United States 131 00:09:12.160 --> 00:09:16.060 Environmental Protection Agency show that although there are sites with 132 00:09:16.060 --> 00:09:21.200 asbestos levels below present limits of detection, natural and treated waters in 133 00:09:21.200 --> 00:09:26.200 Montana, Oregon, Pennsylvania, California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Georgia 134 00:09:26.200 --> 00:09:29.840 have levels in the range of millions of fibers per liter. 135 00:09:31.160 --> 00:09:32.500 Similar studies in 136 00:09:32.500 --> 00:09:36.660 Canada concluded there is asbestos in all surface waters of all 137 00:09:36.660 --> 00:09:41.140 habited areas of Ontario and perhaps there always has been some asbestos 138 00:09:41.140 --> 00:09:46.680 there. Asbestos found in ice core samples dating back hundreds of years confirms 139 00:09:46.680 --> 00:09:51.720 that natural weathering and erosion have in the past and will for generations to 140 00:09:51.720 --> 00:09:57.300 come release asbestos to surface watersheds and underground aquifers around the world. 141 00:09:58.760 --> 00:10:03.600 Another potential source of waterborne asbestos can be asbestos-bearing soil 142 00:10:03.600 --> 00:10:04.860 deposited in 143 00:10:04.860 --> 00:10:10.100 the pipe during installation or repair. This can occur whether the pipe is ductile iron, 144 00:10:10.280 --> 00:10:16.440 plastic, or asbestos cement. A thorough flushing of the distribution system easily eliminates 145 00:10:16.440 --> 00:10:22.240 any long-term effects of soil contamination to provide house 146 00:10:22.240 --> 00:10:24.080 connections water distribution 147 00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:29.680 mains are tapped approximately once every 140 feet the industry recommends when 148 00:10:29.680 --> 00:10:30.680 tapping AC 149 00:10:30.420 --> 00:10:35.900 pipe while under pressure that equipment with a positive purge be used this 150 00:10:35.900 --> 00:10:37.920 ejects 99% of 151 00:10:37.920 --> 00:10:42.980 the asbestos cement chips and downstream flushing takes care of the rest another 152 00:10:42.980 --> 00:10:44.120 alternative is the 153 00:10:44.120 --> 00:10:50.120 use of heavy wall tapped couplings supplied directly from the factory now 154 00:10:50.120 --> 00:10:55.600 the critical question does AC pipe contribute asbestos to drinking water 155 00:10:55.600 --> 00:11:01.480 conveyed through it a no-nonsense answer is a simple yes and 156 00:11:01.480 --> 00:11:04.180 no it depends on the 157 00:11:04.180 --> 00:11:09.600 water not the pipe as long as AC cement binder remains intact 158 00:11:09.600 --> 00:11:11.580 the release if any 159 00:11:11.580 --> 00:11:17.200 of the locked-in fiber is infinitesimal. However, certain corrosive or aggressive 160 00:11:17.200 --> 00:11:21.300 waters will attack even corrosion resistant asbestos cement. 161 00:11:22.340 --> 00:11:23.340 The most 162 00:11:23.200 --> 00:11:28.440 common of these are low hardness or a soft water and low pH or acidic water. 163 00:11:29.100 --> 00:11:34.000 Imagine aggressive waters as being hungry waters, not only hungry for 164 00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:39.920 calcium and magnesium in cement, but hungry for iron, lead, copper, zinc, and 165 00:11:39.920 --> 00:11:44.020 cadmium in metallic pipe, hungry for organic residuals 166 00:11:44.020 --> 00:11:47.840 in plastic pipe, polyaromatic hydrocarbons in coal tar 167 00:11:47.840 --> 00:11:50.640 linings, and on and on and on. 168 00:11:52.750 --> 00:11:55.280 Aggressive waters take a staggering economic toll 169 00:11:55.280 --> 00:11:57.420 from the waterworks industry every year. 170 00:11:58.040 --> 00:12:01.980 But the heaviest toll of all may be the toll in human lives. 171 00:12:02.930 --> 00:12:05.960 In 1974, a highly significant relationship 172 00:12:05.960 --> 00:12:08.440 was confirmed between aggressive water 173 00:12:08.440 --> 00:12:11.480 and cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks. 174 00:12:12.060 --> 00:12:13.660 Cities with the softest 175 00:12:13.660 --> 00:12:18.040 water had twice the death rate from coronary disease as cities where the 176 00:12:18.040 --> 00:12:23.640 water was hardest. Economics alone argues strongly for treating aggressive waters. 177 00:12:23.900 --> 00:12:29.700 The loss of life punctuates the urgency. Though the AC 178 00:12:29.700 --> 00:12:31.220 pipe industry is not the 179 00:12:31.220 --> 00:12:35.320 first to spotlight the need for stabilization, it has been a leader in 180 00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:38.200 taking positive steps to include aggressive water 181 00:12:38.200 --> 00:12:40.700 guidelines in national product specifications. 182 00:12:41.740 --> 00:12:43.340 These guidelines do not recommend 183 00:12:43.340 --> 00:12:46.620 the use of asbestos cement pipe with highly aggressive waters. 184 00:12:47.720 --> 00:12:51.680 Measurements taken in the field confirm EPA laboratory results 185 00:12:52.060 --> 00:12:54.540 that for moderately and non-aggressive waters, 186 00:12:54.900 --> 00:12:58.620 AC pipe does not contribute significant, or in many cases, 187 00:12:58.640 --> 00:13:01.360 even measurable amounts of asbestos to drinking 188 00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:02.780 water conveyed through it. 189 00:13:05.230 --> 00:13:08.940 Northeast Illinois, an analysis of 15 public water systems 190 00:13:08.940 --> 00:13:12.740 containing A.C. pipe of various ages, lengths, and diameters. 191 00:13:13.660 --> 00:13:17.360 Conclusion, no significant release of asbestos from A.C. 192 00:13:17.360 --> 00:13:18.400 pipe was observed. 193 00:13:21.460 --> 00:13:25.160 California, an analysis of water at the end of long pipe runs 194 00:13:25.160 --> 00:13:28.780 in a distribution system with over 1,000 miles of A.C. 195 00:13:28.780 --> 00:13:29.780 pipe. 196 00:13:30.120 --> 00:13:33.540 Conclusion, all tests for asbestos, negative. 197 00:13:34.360 --> 00:13:39.940 New Mexico, an analysis of asbestos fiber concentrations in water systems containing 198 00:13:39.940 --> 00:13:45.860 548 miles of AC pipe. Conclusion, no evidence of 199 00:13:45.860 --> 00:13:49.820 asbestos pickup from AC pipe. Texas, Ohio, 200 00:13:50.140 --> 00:13:53.600 and Connecticut, EPA monitorings of AC pipe systems. 201 00:13:54.240 --> 00:13:57.080 Conclusion, fiber levels either not 202 00:13:57.080 --> 00:14:00.460 statistically significant or below detectable limits. 203 00:14:01.380 --> 00:14:03.220 Common sense tells us 204 00:14:03.220 --> 00:14:07.000 that real-world risk must relate to real- world exposure. 205 00:14:07.380 --> 00:14:08.700 For that reason, 206 00:14:08.800 --> 00:14:14.620 these results are important. They measure actual exposures to waterborne asbestos 207 00:14:14.620 --> 00:14:20.700 in AC pipe systems. Clearly, the amount of asbestos, if any, contributed to drinking 208 00:14:20.700 --> 00:14:26.240 water supplied through AC pipe was infinitesimal, certainly far less than 209 00:14:26.240 --> 00:14:28.560 was found in many natural source waters. 210 00:14:31.270 --> 00:14:33.050 Now what about water systems which 211 00:14:33.050 --> 00:14:35.550 have measurable quantities of asbestos fiber? 212 00:14:35.790 --> 00:14:37.590 What's the risk of contracting cancer? 213 00:14:38.490 --> 00:14:41.770 There is no evidence that anyone in the general public 214 00:14:41.770 --> 00:14:45.190 has ever contracted any disease from naturally occurring 215 00:14:45.190 --> 00:14:49.030 asbestos or the minute amounts of fiber released from AC pipe. 216 00:14:49.710 --> 00:14:51.790 This is not a judgment of safety. 217 00:14:52.030 --> 00:14:53.810 It is a statement of fact. 218 00:14:53.810 --> 00:14:59.190 Whether it's the extremely small size of waterborne 219 00:14:59.190 --> 00:15:04.230 asbestos or the sub-threshold dose, one fact is irrefutable. 220 00:15:04.550 --> 00:15:10.470 If there is a cause-and-effect relationship between GI cancers, ingested 221 00:15:10.470 --> 00:15:12.950 asbestos, or the use of AC pipe, 222 00:15:13.250 --> 00:15:18.290 it does not show in state, national, or world cancer statistics. 223 00:15:18.290 --> 00:15:24.020 Duluth, Minnesota, millions of asbestos- like 224 00:15:24.020 --> 00:15:25.400 fibers in its drinking water 225 00:15:25.400 --> 00:15:31.520 and Houston, Texas, with none. A comparison of tissues from deceased residents from both 226 00:15:31.520 --> 00:15:36.100 cities failed to disclose any asbestos fibers of waterborne origin. 227 00:15:36.780 --> 00:15:38.800 Duluth again, this time 228 00:15:38.800 --> 00:15:42.840 a comparison with Minneapolis, St. Paul, which has no asbestos in its water. 229 00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:44.420 No statistical 230 00:15:44.420 --> 00:15:47.480 difference in the incidence of gastrointestinal cancer. 231 00:15:49.790 --> 00:15:54.470 Switzerland, the highest per capita use of AC pipe in Western Europe. 232 00:15:54.830 --> 00:16:00.430 From 1951, more than 20 years after AC pipe was introduced, to 1973, 233 00:16:01.010 --> 00:16:06.030 the death rate from GI cancer dropped a significant 29%. 234 00:16:07.010 --> 00:16:12.890 The United States, during 40 years of rapidly increasing AC pipe usage, 235 00:16:12.890 --> 00:16:17.790 gastrointestinal cancer rates for the period 1954 to 1974 236 00:16:17.790 --> 00:16:23.770 declined 33% Tennessee Knoxville 237 00:16:23.770 --> 00:16:29.470 AC pipe in use since 1938 and Nashville no AC pipe 238 00:16:29.470 --> 00:16:32.650 a 20-year comparison shows that Nashville 239 00:16:32.650 --> 00:16:38.230 with metallic pipe at a 29% higher death rate from GI cancer than 240 00:16:38.230 --> 00:16:40.490 Knoxville with asbestos cement pipe 241 00:16:41.740 --> 00:16:46.880 Connecticut. Results from an extensive Environmental Protection Agency study 242 00:16:46.880 --> 00:16:51.860 show no correlation between the incidence of GI cancer and the use of 243 00:16:51.860 --> 00:16:57.080 asbestos cement water pipe. This inability to relate a real-world 244 00:16:57.080 --> 00:17:02.440 response with a real-world dose again says that like the amount of asbestos 245 00:17:02.440 --> 00:17:07.780 contributed to drinking water by AC pipe, the risk from ingesting that asbestos 246 00:17:07.780 --> 00:17:11.380 must be infinitely small. An exact number? 247 00:17:11.480 --> 00:17:14.380 Well, we did say all risks could be measured. 248 00:17:15.620 --> 00:17:20.860 Let's create a hypothetical human feeding experiment based on magnified doses used in 249 00:17:20.860 --> 00:17:26.020 animal feeding studies which failed to establish a cancer risk from ingested asbestos. 250 00:17:26.420 --> 00:17:27.420 Based on a 251 00:17:27.380 --> 00:17:33.060 diet containing 0.27% asbestos, this amounts to about five pounds of asbestos, 252 00:17:33.060 --> 00:17:34.060 roughly the amount 253 00:17:33.980 --> 00:17:38.460 of butter you eat in a year. Using the highest fiber levels found in drinking 254 00:17:38.460 --> 00:17:43.940 water, you would have to drink 3.8 million quarts of water per day to 255 00:17:43.940 --> 00:17:49.640 consume five pounds of asbestos in a year, or in excess of 50,000 quarts per 256 00:17:49.640 --> 00:17:55.440 day for a lifetime. This is preposterous, but it does provide a 257 00:17:55.440 --> 00:17:56.500 roundabout way to 258 00:17:56.500 --> 00:18:01.360 quantify and place in perspective the probability of risk from a real-world 259 00:18:01.360 --> 00:18:07.600 dose of ingested asbestos from AC pipe. A dose which is not uncommonly a billion 260 00:18:07.600 --> 00:18:12.920 times less than asbestos levels proven to be non-carcinogenic in animal feeding 261 00:18:12.920 --> 00:18:17.160 studies. One in a billion. 262 00:18:17.680 --> 00:18:20.420 That figure probably doesn't register with most 263 00:18:20.420 --> 00:18:25.720 people. In terms of quality, it's one bad apple in two million barrels. 264 00:18:26.100 --> 00:18:27.100 In terms of 265 00:18:27.060 --> 00:18:31.440 volume, it's a very, very, very dry martini. 266 00:18:31.680 --> 00:18:35.740 One drop of vermouth in 15,750 267 00:18:36.300 --> 00:18:42.160 gallons of gin. In terms of risk, it's a thousand times safer than 268 00:18:42.160 --> 00:18:43.160 smoking one 269 00:18:42.880 --> 00:18:46.840 and a half cigarettes or drinking a half bottle of your favorite wine. 270 00:18:47.360 --> 00:18:48.480 This is a 271 00:18:48.480 --> 00:18:52.700 statement of fact and certainly a margin of safety. 272 00:18:54.360 --> 00:18:56.420 In spite of perceptions and 273 00:18:56.420 --> 00:19:01.600 publicity to the contrary these incredibly low probabilities of risk tell us that 274 00:19:01.600 --> 00:19:03.060 AC pipe is not 275 00:19:03.060 --> 00:19:09.040 and never will be a risk to the public a judgment confirmed again and 276 00:19:09.040 --> 00:19:10.440 again by some of the most 277 00:19:10.440 --> 00:19:16.380 respected health authorities in the world International Agency for Research 278 00:19:16.380 --> 00:19:17.380 on Cancer 279 00:19:17.880 --> 00:19:23.200 the question is there evidence of an increased risk of cancer resulting from 280 00:19:23.200 --> 00:19:24.200 asbestos fibers 281 00:19:24.160 --> 00:19:29.400 present in water beverages food or in the fluids used for the administration of 282 00:19:29.400 --> 00:19:31.220 drugs the answer 283 00:19:31.220 --> 00:19:37.380 such evidence as there is does not indicate any risk Dr. 284 00:19:38.820 --> 00:19:40.920 Irving J. Selikoff director of the 285 00:19:40.920 --> 00:19:45.960 Environmental Sciences Laboratory, Mount Sinai School of Medicine there is no 286 00:19:45.960 --> 00:19:46.960 evidence at all 287 00:19:46.960 --> 00:19:52.180 at this time that the presumably very low level exposure by ingestion which might 288 00:19:52.180 --> 00:19:53.220 occur by intake 289 00:19:53.220 --> 00:19:57.660 of water supplied through asbestos cement pipe has resulted in a recognized 290 00:19:57.660 --> 00:20:02.420 health hazard. National Cancer Institute. 291 00:20:03.200 --> 00:20:06.480 NCI scientists have found no unusual 292 00:20:06.480 --> 00:20:11.640 cancer mortality patterns so far among persons residing where drinking water is 293 00:20:11.640 --> 00:20:17.280 contaminated by asbestos. Select Study Committee of the American Water Works 294 00:20:17.280 --> 00:20:23.100 Association Research Foundation. No firm evidence shows that the proper use of 295 00:20:23.100 --> 00:20:26.660 asbestos cement pipe poses a hazard to health by reason 296 00:20:26.660 --> 00:20:28.500 of ingestion of asbestos fibers. 297 00:20:28.860 --> 00:20:30.800 The probability of risk to health 298 00:20:30.800 --> 00:20:34.700 from the use of such systems is small, approaching zero. 299 00:20:36.790 --> 00:20:39.750 False accusations and guilt by association 300 00:20:40.290 --> 00:20:43.490 have created a perception of risk about AC pipe. 301 00:20:44.250 --> 00:20:46.910 Scientific measurements and common sense 302 00:20:47.390 --> 00:20:51.170 show this distorted perception has no basis in fact. 303 00:20:51.170 --> 00:20:56.510 designed for value engineered for performance 304 00:20:56.510 --> 00:21:00.690 AC pipe is the optimum balance between high 305 00:21:00.690 --> 00:21:06.190 performance long life and cost- effectiveness quality control 306 00:21:06.190 --> 00:21:08.410 second to none assures high 307 00:21:08.410 --> 00:21:13.150 pressure reliability with sensible factors of safety consistently 308 00:21:13.150 --> 00:21:16.230 inexpensively and that's a 309 00:21:16.230 --> 00:21:21.740 fact. The AC pipe industry has a commitment, 310 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:25.920 a commitment to quality water. This commitment 311 00:21:25.920 --> 00:21:30.520 encompasses much more than simple assurance of water quality at the consumer's tap. 312 00:21:31.260 --> 00:21:32.260 Regardless 313 00:21:31.980 --> 00:21:37.240 of how bountiful or clean water reserves might be, whimsical as nature can be, 314 00:21:37.360 --> 00:21:38.980 and short-sighted 315 00:21:38.980 --> 00:21:44.820 as man has been, quality water demands conservation in use, diligence 316 00:21:44.820 --> 00:21:46.700 in treatment, and economical 317 00:21:46.700 --> 00:21:51.960 reliability in distribution. Providing distribution pipe of integrity 318 00:21:51.960 --> 00:21:53.100 at a 319 00:21:53.100 --> 00:21:58.780 cost the user can and will support is the goal of the AC pipe industry.