Extracted sometime in the first century, Asbestos owes its genesis from the mines on the island of Ewoia in Greece. The word ‘Asbestos’ in Greek means ‘inextinguishable’. The early civilizations found several uses of Asbestos and referred to it as a ‘miracle’ product. According to some historians, Asbestos was used by Romans in the building material after they came to know of its heat and fire resistant properties. The uses of Asbestos for weaving clothing and other household stuff like tablecloths, etc. are also not unknown. The Egyptian mummies too were wrapped in Asbestos clothing.
The ill effects of Asbestos, however, were known from the very beginning. Even the early Greeks anticipated that the mineral was responsible for causing some serious ailments. Roman naturalist Pliny and Greek geographer Strabo observed that Asbestos was responsible for ‘sickness of lungs’ in the slaves that worked in the mines or wove Asbestos into cloths.
Asbestos Usage in Post-Industrial Revolution Period
The Asbestos industry received a huge fillip during the industrial revolution. The ‘miracle’ mineral was largely used in the factories. In late 1800s, several Asbestos mines had sprung up and the bourgeois felt that Asbestos mining could be quite lucrative.
The first extensive use of Asbestos was in the rail and road industries. Since the railroad industry was proliferating extensively, Asbestos requirement grew by leaps and bounds. Asbestos was used in boilers or for making pipes and fireboxes in the steam locomotives. The shipping industry too used Asbestos extensively. The shipbuilders made use of the material to build steam pipes, incinerators and hot water pipes. The use of Asbestos was at its peak during the Second World War when millions of people were recruited in these industries. Since Asbestos was so widely used in these industries, most people working in these industries reported to have suffered from one or the other Asbestos-related disease like Asbestosis or Mesothelioma.
The use of asbestos continued in the 1970s. Nearly 3000 products were made using the unique properties of asbestos. A myriad of products such as toasters, coffee pots, electric blankets, hair dryers, irons and ironing board covers were made of asbestos. Asbestos was used in talc or vermiculite as well as in cosmetics in traces.
Asbestos continued its successful run in the 1900s, until the EPA warnings and regulations were issued in 1970s. After this period, the production of asbestos suddenly slackened. People once again started thinking about and evaluating the perilous effects of asbestos. Scientific researches and studies brought to light the fact that the miracle mineral was indeed perilous and triggered fatal diseases such as Mesothelioma and Asbestosis. Although the use of asbestos has not been totally banned, it is not commonly produced by American manufacturers due to its health concerns as well as for the liabilities associated. With falling production, the chances of exposure to asbestos has reduced considerably; however, the continued use of asbestos, whether speaking of the huge natural deposits of asbestos or imported auto products or the many old skyscrapers, asbestos continues to be a threat for human health.
