October 28th, 2007

The people in a small Georgia town were told that their water could be harmful considering the high levels of asbestos found in it. But since then, officials have done little to resolve the problem.

Residents of Richland, Georgia thought it was a little odd that a state department would come in to test their water, only to tell them that small levels of asbestos were found but that it was not dangerous. More tests were promised, and residents went about their lives. Five years later, the department tested the water again, only to find that the old piping in the city had deteriorated so badly that levels of asbestos reached seven times the limit of that considered safe. The state officials had been called in when a substance had been found to be blocking filters and water meters, though the county knew asbestos lined the water pipes.

The water in Richland is by far the worst affected in the state of Georgia, although as many as 300 other cities could face the same fate. Asbestos has been linked to cancer, emphysema and asbestosis, all life threatening illnesses. Mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer, can take decades to manifest, and is often times terminal at the time of detection.