Asbestos History | Connelly & Vogelzang

Asbestos History

Asbestos History

Asbestos, meaning “unquenchable” or “inextinguishable,” has been known since pre- historical times as a powerful fire, acid and salt retardant and for its strong binding properties. In the early 19th century, asbestos came to be known as the ‘magic mineral’ and became widely incorporated in everything from paint to insulation to brake pads. Today asbestos plays a prominent role in our global ecosystem, and though widely known to be toxic to human health and the only known cause of mesothelioma, asbestos continues to be widely used today.

Timeline

4000 BC:

Asbestos is used for wicks in lamps and candles. The substance was known as “asbestos”, meaning inextinguishable or unquenchable.

2000 – 3000 BC:

Embalmed bodies of Egyptian pharaohs were wrapped in asbestos clothes to offset the ravages of time.

1000:

Mediterranean people used chrysotile from Cyprus and tremolite from upper Italy for the fabrication of cremation cloths, mats and wicks for temple lamps.

1300 – 1400:

Marco Polo visited an asbestos mine in China in the latter half of the 13th Century. He concluded that asbestos was a stone and laid to rest the myth that asbestos was the hair of a woolly lizard.

Early 1700′s:

Evidence that asbestos papers and boards were made as early as 1700 in Italy.

800 – 900 AD:

Charlemagne’s table cloth made from woven asbestos.

1712:

Chrysotile mined in Russia during the reign of Peter the Great.

1724:

Benjamin Franklin brought a purse made of asbestos to England. The purse is now in the Natural History Museum.

1805:

Blue asbestos (crocidolite) first discovered in South Africa. Originally named “Woolstone.”

1828:

The first known US patent issued for asbestos insulating material used in steam engines.

1850:

Chrysotile first discovered in Quebec, Canada at the Thedford Mines.

Circa 1853:

Asbestos helmet and jackets worn by Parisian Fire Brigade.

1860′s:

Packings and gaskets were produced, as mixtures of asbestos and organic fibrous materials.

1866:

Moulded lagging material made from waterglass and asbestos.

Early 1870′s:

Founding of large asbestos industries in Scotland, Germany and England with the production of “asbestos boards.”

1870′s:

The “modern” asbestos industry commenced in Canada and USSR, when large deposits of chrysotile were extensively exploited.

1880:

The American asbestos industry is founded with the use of Italian asbestos to manufacture asbestos paper and board.

1886:

Asbestos pipe lagging materials, based on 85% magnesia, were developed.

1896:

First asbestos brake linings were made by Ferodo Ltd. In England. Made by impregnating woven asbestos brake bands with resin.

1897:

A Viennese physician wrote that emaciation and pulmonary problems left no doubt that asbestos dust inhalation was the cause.

1898:

England. Lady Inspectors of factories wrote regarding the asbestos manufacturing processes “…On account of their easily demonstrated danger to the health of the workers, and because of ascertained cases of injury to bronchial tubes and lungs medically attributed to the suffering of the employees.”

1900:

Initially patented in 1896, the first high pressure asbestos gaskets made by Klinger in Austria.

1906:

Asbestos brake linings manufactured in the USA.

1920′s:

Large asbestos companies experimented with ways of weaving asbestos. Succeeded, but chrysotile and crocidolite were the only fibers to be woven commercially. Crocidolite being almost exclusively used for manufacture of asbestos mattresses for steam trains.

1907:

Amosite (brown asbestos) discovered in Transvaal, South Africa.

1913:

First asbestos pipes developed in Italy.

1915:

Asbestos brake linings manufactured in Germany.

1919:

Standard corrugated sheet introduced in Australia by Hardies.

1931:

Asbestos industry regulations were passed in the UK to address concerns that asbestos exposure, particularly among textile factory workers led to lung damage.

1939:

In the film “The Wizard of Oz’, the Wicked Witch of the West appeared in a broom made of asbestos.

1939-1945:

Wartime paraphernalia including fireproof suits and parachute flares contained asbestos.

1945-1975:

Post-war construction projects relied heavily on the use of asbestos, reaching an all-time high in 1973.

1964-1965:

Dr. Irving J. Selikoff publishes an epidemiological study in the Journal of American Medical Association showing the mortality experience of asbestos insulation workers after following them for twenty years. It shows that these men sustained grossly excessive mortality from lung cancer, mesothelioma and gastrointestinal cancer, in addition to asbestosis. He then holds an international conference at the New York Academy of Sciences and announces his results to the industrial and medical world. If you believe that you or a loved one may have mesothelioma please contact us at  877-293-MESO (6376) for a legal evaluation.

Second-hand asbestos exposure:

Although an individual may not be dealing with asbestos products directly, he or she may be exposed indirectly. For example, an electrician who works next to a drywaller who sands joint compound on a regular basis can easily breathe in millions of asbestos fibers. This same principle applies to family members of asbestos workers. Spouses and other people living in the household are often diagnosed with the diseases associated with asbestos. Asbestos may be brought home on the clothing (such as a hat or shoes), as well as in the vehicle of a worker who can then distribute it throughout the house. A particularly heavy second-hand exposure can occur while doing a spouse’s laundry. This is generally referred to as second-hand asbestos exposure.

Products Containing Asbestos:

Acoustical Plaster Joint Compounds ▪ Asphalt ▪ Base Flashing ▪ Blown-in Insulation ▪ Boiler Insulation ▪ Breaching Insulation ▪ Ceiling Tiles and Lay-in Panels ▪ Cement pipes ▪ Cement Siding ▪ Cement Wallboard ▪ Chalkboards ▪ Construction Mastics (floor tile, carpet, ceiling tile) ▪ Cooling Towers ▪ Decorative Plaster ▪ Ductwork Flexible ▪ Electric Wiring Insulation ▪ Electrical Cloth ▪ Electrical Panel Partitions ▪ Elevator Brake Shoes ▪ Elevator Equipment Panels ▪ Fabric Connections ▪ Fire Blankets ▪ Fire Curtains ▪ Fire Doors ▪ Fireproofing Materials ▪ Flooring Backing Adhesives ▪ Floor Tile ▪ High Temperature Gaskets ▪ HVAC Duct Insulation ▪ Laboratory Gloves ▪ Laboratory Hoods ▪ Packing Materials (for wall/floor penetrate ions) ▪ Pipe Insulation (corrugated air-cell, block, etc.) ▪ Powder Plaster ▪ Roofing Felt ▪ Roofing Shingles ▪ Spackling Compounds ▪ Spray-Applied Insulation ▪ Table Tops ▪ Taping Compounds (thermal) ▪ Textured Paints/Coatings ▪ Thermal Paper Products ▪ Vinyl Wall Coverings ▪ Vinyl Floor Tile ▪ Vinyl Sheet Flooring Caulking/Putties ▪ Wallboard Heating and Electrical Ducts.
If you believe you have mesothelioma from working with any of these materials, it is important that you contact an attorney so you can understand your legal rights.
Schedule an appointment with our mesothelioma lawyers if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma. Please call  (312) 466-1669 
Connelly & Vogelzang:  Mesothelioma Lawyers / Mesothelioma Attorneys