asbestos cement

The family then sued the city in June 2022, alleging in King County Superior Court that the city was negligent in addressing or warning the family about risks associated with living downslope of the asbestos cement water main.

"Our brief is to ensure that children don't go playing on the rubble heap, this is because we suspect there's asbestos, cement debris in there that's come from the roof slates, so there's a risk to to public health," he added.

The homeowners, with their son and daughter, sued the city of Bellevue in June, alleging the city was negligent in addressing — or warning the family — about risks associated with living downslope of the asbestos cement water main.

The pipe behind the Surdi home was made out of asbestos cement, a popular building material in North America between 1940-1980, which makes up about 10%-20% of water mains in the U.S., according to estimates by the Environmental Protection Agency and industry groups.

Although the material is still used in other countries, and asbestos cement pipes can last decades without degrading, experts say the water pipes are more likely to fail catastrophically when they degrade rather than forming minor leaks.