Spotlight on Asbestos
Asbestos has a known history that stretches over two millennia. Imagine what it was like for the aristocracy of the time to confront the malleable product that would not burn. It is not unreasonable to believe many of these men and women would want something of their own made from this amazing material.
The Greek named this mined substance ‘asbestos’ because of its durable properties. In the fall of 1879 an article in The Chester Daily Times described an early reference to what was believed to be asbestos. It was stated that a servant brought in a soiled cloth to Charlemagne who, with great purpose, tossed the offensive cloth into the fireplace, “A few moments passed, and the monarch raised it from the furnace unharmed and as white as snow.”
You can imagine the impression that left on his guests. In fact, it is believed that Charlemagne owned tablecloths made from asbestos. It is further believed that these pieces of cloth were similarly cleansed by fire.
One of the more intriguing uses for asbestos in ancient culture was as a shroud for cremation. The cloth would not burn and the cloth would safely hold the remains of the deceased.
Even 2,000 years ago there was concern that those who worked with asbestos were developing lung ailments.
Fast Forward
Interestingly there is little noted about asbestos until the Industrial Revolution where asbestos once again became a desired commodity. This time the substance was not used in clothing, but in the 1890’s railroads and shipyards found significant uses for this naturally occurring mineral and entrepreneurs found there were many ways to market the product and make significant money doing so.
The 20th Century
When the car became popular in the United States asbestos was used in parts that developed friction. Brake pads were made from asbestos along with automotive clutch plates.
Pipes and insulation applications would follow. Homeowners used asbestos in their paints in an effort to make their homes fire resistant. It wasn’t long before asbestos was showing up in a wide variety of home improvement products. Theaters used asbestos curtains and asbestos could soon be found in health and beauty products.
Another Side
While the asbestos industry was growing in market revenue there was something else that was being discovered, but little talked about.
In 1918 Prudential insurance stated they would no longer insure asbestos mine workers because of what they considered the “health-injurious conditions of the industry.”
It was reported as early as 1932 that the United States Bureau of Mines wrote, “"It is now known that asbestos dust is one of the most dangerous dusts to which man is exposed.”
In 1951 asbestos companies sponsor research on the health effects of their product, but insist the word cancer be removed from all literature that reveals the findings. Asbestos warning labels were suggested and rejected a year later.
By 1964 a physician unassociated with the asbestos industry published a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association that showed a link between asbestos exposure and Mesotheioloma.
Within 10 years the first regulations banning certain forms of asbestos were adopted with further bans and restrictions to follow.
In 1999 one asbestos company is found guilty of withholding information from workers about the health risks they faced in handling asbestos on a regular basis.
Contention
The primary difficulty former employees of asbestos manufacturing plants have is that in most cases they were never made aware of any dangers in interacting with the product. Many feel betrayed that a company in which they invested time and effort would intentionally allow them to work in an unprotected environment when these companies often had the information they needed to institute a change in policy related to the handling of asbestos.
What has proven equally devastating for some families is the fact that asbestos lodged in clothing may have affected the health of other family members when the workers returned home following their shift.
In our next section we will explore the various points of exposure workers may have experienced in handling asbestos.
