I’m not saying I’m certain it isn’t bad, but there article itself points out that none of the studies done have shown any evidence yet.

Also, I think it’s a similar comparison to snake venom, deadly when injected but usually harmless when ingested.

This seems like a really odd article, they gloss over the fact that asbestos causes lung problems as it stays in the lung and basically cuts it to pieces. I don’t believe it is the chemical composition of asbestos that causes the issues (not 100% on that) but the damage it does.

It’s a bit like saying knife crime causes lots of injuries and deaths and we’ve now realised people have knives at home so maybe they’ll start suffering similar issues. I know that’s an over simplification and not a perfect comparison, but you get the point.

The article also mentions multiple times that there is no clear evidence of issues caused via ingestion. I agree though that more research should be done but articles like this will unnecessarily worry people that aren’t aware there are lots of AC pipes and how asbestos causes illnesses.

Most water pipes these days are plastic, are micro plastics likely to be better or worse in the long run?

Whilst I might sound like someone that works for big asbestos I’m not! I do work in the water industry though so possibly this influences my opinion slightly as I was already aware of the amount of AC pipes.

Just to be pedantic, as I found it really interesting when I realised, it’s actually 5 months winter time and 7 months summer.

I work in the water industry, not specifically in water resources but hey. The issue we have is the rate at which we’re abstracting water from ground sources. In UK, the statistic I often hear is that it takes around 300 years for rain to soak down and join the water table.

300 years ago, the only below ground abstraction would have been people pulling buckets out of wells. Also it wasn’t like everyone had a well but their house either. Now we abstract millions of litres from a single borehole everyday.

To answer your question about where it goes, most waste water is released into the oceans. So we’re taking clean fresh water that on some cases has been moving down through the earth for thousands of years and discharging it into the oceans.

This is a great point and something I don’t think many people are aware of. I believe I’ve heard a stat that states that only 50% the impact of planes on climate change is due to burning fossil fuels, whilst the other 50% is due to cloud seeding. (Source: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210525-how-aviation-is-reducing-its-climate-emissions).