There are more than 5,100 kilometres of asbestos water pipes in Ireland.
22% of them are in Cork – which is nearly double the amount in greater Dublin.
The substance can cause cancer if inhaled, but Irish Water says not if you consume it through drinking-water.
Environmental consultant Jack O’Sullivan is calling for the utility to make sure the asbestos pipes are in good order.
"Those asbestos pipes to my understating are 50-70 years old, and that's a long age.
"The most important thing Irish Water should do, and do quite quickly, is carry out a risk assessment of the structural integrity of those pipes."
