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| Concern About Roof Run-Off = = = = = = = = = = = = = Dear Casual Gardener, In trying to conserve water resources, I have been gathering rain water that I use to water my flowers in containers on the deck, in the gardens etc. We have been collecting rain water in smaller pots but also from the downspouts from the roof. I am wondering about the effect of the asbestos roof shingles on the plants. Is it an okay practice? Thanks for your advice. Dr. Codman Winfield resident = = = = = = = = = = = = = Dear Dr. Codman, The short answer; as long as you are not watering your vegetable or food garden with asbestos contaminated water, it should be well within safety parameters. The long answer is that asbestos is a natural occurring mineral – a rock – and cannot be dissolved in water, which is why water is often used to keep it out of the air during a clean up. Its harmful effects are mechanical and typically inhaled after it has been reduced to a state of microscopic sized fibers for commercial and manufacturing utilization. Now asbestos is recognized as a product which can endanger human health. The inhalation of asbestos fibers is known to cause a debilitating and irreversible respiratory illness known as asbestosis, as well as lung cancer and mesothelioma cancer. In other words, when you inhale the fibers, your lungs will become inflamed by the spiky asbestos rock pieces. This inflammation creates conditions favorable to the development of disease. Asbestos shingles are typically over twenty years old, sometimes over thirty years old. Newer shingles do not have asbestos content. If the shingles are degrading, the asbestos material might be found as sediment at the bottom of your rain barrel after a heavy rain, so collecting the water off your roof and pouring it on your plants is not going to increase your exposure to the product any more than typical downspout run-off. In researching your answer, I discovered that thousands of miles of city water pipes in the United States are made with asbestos cement, also known as transite pipe. Corrosive water, common in some parts of our country, loosens asbestos fibers in this type of pipe and transports it to homes. It has been estimated that approximately 5% to 10% of the population nation wide may be drinking water that contains greater than 300,000 asbestos fibers per liter. The current asbestos fiber content of drinking water that is permitted according to the Summary of United States Environmental Protection Agency Required, Recommended, and Proposed Drinking Water Standards for Community Water Supply Systems is 7.1 million fibers/liter unlimited consumption. Medical studies have determined that the risk level for a person consuming two liters of water per day which has been contaminated with 300,000 asbestos fibers per liter for seventy years would have a one in 100,000 chance of developing gastrointestinal cancer. With the above in mind, my suggestion – with the disclaimer that I am by no means a scientific expert and you should seek an expert if you have additional concerns – is to avoid placing asbestos laden water on vegetable or food gardens. Common sense application, having reviewed the above statistical information, would mean watering perennial and annual beds should be within safe parameters. For further information on water safety and environmentally safe practices please go to the website of the United States Environmental Protection Agency - www.epa.gov. Please send your gardening questions for Shawna Coronado, The Casual Gardener to dearshawna@thecasualgardener.com or The Casual Gardener, P.O. Box 358, Warrenville, IL 60555 |
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