Asbestos fibres are strong, durable and non-combustible.
In Canada, occupational health authorities at the provincial level have imposed strict standards to limit workers' exposure to asbestos. Levels of asbestos in the air around us are some thousand-fold less than levels in an occupational environment. However, concentrations of airborne fibres may be elevated near asbestos-emitting industries. High concentrations of asbestos in some raw water supplies in Canada result from erosion of asbestos from natural sources. Conventional water treatment methods, such as coagulation and filtration, substantially reduce asbestos levels in treated drinking water supplies.