Asbestos Pipe Use Debated in Pakistan

— Use of asbestos in water pipe has been banned in many places, but is still allowed in Pakistan. Now, a debate is underway in the country over whether or not government should switch to PVC (polyvinyl chloride) pipes. As of 2006, 40 countries around the world had banned asbestos, on the suspicion that it could cause gastrointestinal disease. Doctors say it may also cause kidney and lung cancers. Asbestos inhalation causes pulmonary fibrosis, lung and larynx cancer. Between 1995 and 2003, 601 cases of mesothelioma, a rare type of cancer in the lining of lung and abdomen, were reported in Pakistan's northwestern frontier states...