Actual Situation of Asbestos in Tract Drinking-Water in Korean and Japanese Local Cities

Abstract

Although every year, thousands of people die from asbestos-related diseases, many people disregard things that are past. Meanwhile, a lot of people, in particular, in many Asia countries that have no guideline values for waterborne asbestos are currently in a fever of anxiety about the possibility of its health hazards. This study focused on a grasping the actual situation of asbestos in household tap water. An intensive collection of the tract drinking-water was conducted in Iksan, Korea (at six homes), and Fukuoka, Japan (at nine homes). After pretreatment, both morphological observation and elemental analysis were simultaneously carried out using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX). The concentrations of waterborne asbestos fiber varied from place to place in both local cities. Their average concentrations at all sites in Iksan and Fukuoka were 213.3 and 181.1 f/L, respectively. Although the measured values in this study were the sum of chrysotile, amosite, and crocidolite fibers with a high risk of cancer, they were found to be consistently below the MCL (the Maximum Contaminant Level recommended by the U.S. toxicological profile for Asbestos). A significant link was found between open water supply channels and waterborne asbestos. The backward wind trajectory projections indicated that the present water sampling sites might be affected by the airborne asbestos fiber in the upwind atmosphere.