Asbestos and Human History

today asbestos is pretty much the only known as something dangerous that used to be used in building materials billions of dollars are spent in asbestos abatement and ads play on television offering legal help to people who've been exposed to asbestos if you have an older home you might worry about whether there's asbestos in your home asbestos became so popular and used during the industrial era that we sometimes forget that it's not a new invention it's a naturally occurring mineral and one that has a surprisingly long history with humanity asbestos has been used in production for at least 4,000 years and before became known as a notorious killer it had a very different reputation the surprisingly long human relationship with asbestos is history that deserves to be remembered asbestos is an umbrella term that refers to six different naturally occurring silicate minerals composed of thin fibrous crystals the fibers are made up of even smaller pieces called fibrils which can be as small as a single micron in length the most commonly used type is called chrysolite or white asbestos which makes up about 95% of the asbestos in most products but a number of other kinds are recognized including brown and blue asbestos it functions naturally as an electric insulator it is highly resistant to heat it's chemically inert and it strengthens of the materials when mixed in Grieg the substance we now call asbestos was originally called Emmy anthos meaning undefiled because it showed no mark it was thrown into a fire the Greek word asbestos actually referred to quicklime but the Roman magistrate plenty the elder misused the word in his natural histories to refer to the in combustible material which helped to popularize the name and it's modern use the word asbestos was first used in the 1600s use of asbestos whoever goes back much further than that 4,500 years ago in East Finland ancient people mixed asbestos into their clay which strengthened the pots while allowing them to have thinner walls and adding heat resistance the ancient Egyptians wrapped Pharaoh's in this bestest cloth to prevent deterioration in Cyprus ancient people made this bestest cremation cloths hats and shoes and the island seemed to be a major source for the middle Greek historian Herodotus in Pliny both mentioned using asbestos cloths in cremations to wrap the body keep the body's ashes separate from the fires plenty also says this bestest protected wares from spells especially those of the Magi many cultures use asbestos to make napkins tablecloths and clothes more than one writer made the same observation as the Greek historian Strabo who said that these cloths were thrown into the fire and cleanse just as linens are cleansed by washing the fibers were also used as insulation for homes and ovens asbestos can be used to make candle wicks that don't burn away one was used in the asbestos Lynch eNOS golden lamp that according to one traveler only needed to be refilled once a year the eternal flame cared for by the Roman Vestal Virgins may also have used this bestest wick and numerous writers say the elemental flame of the Athenian Acropolis had an asbestos wick even ancient writers recorded troubling things about asbestos both plenty and Strabo mentioned that slaves that mined the mineral suffered from diseases of the lungs and it was said that quarry slaves died young plenty called it a slave disease and even described go to her lamb bladders being used as respirators despite these observations they never really truly understood the risks of the mineral asbestos continued to be used throughout the world throughout the Middle Ages though it seems to have declined somewhat Charlemagne first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire was said to have had and asbestos tablecloth that he impressed dinner guests by tossing it into the fire at the end of the meal medieval monks on Cyprus use asbestos in their paint adding a mirror-like Sheen to their paintings this substance was rare enough for travelling salesmen to make asbestos crosses they claimed were blessed when they didn't burn so I'll she uses insulation in the armor of some Knights and Crusaders in the 11th century are said to have filled asbestos bags with burning tar to fire out of trebuchet in Asia the Han Dynasty general long T was said to have a suit of asbestos cloth that he'd wear to special occasions he would refuse tea until it was spilled on him and then painting anger have the clothes thrown into the fire where they would come out clean in the same period asbestos became associated with something unexpected the salamander the salamander was poorly understood in antiquity but it had for centuries had a connection with fire some medieval alchemists even declared the salamander a fire elemental as there the fourth century BC Aristotle connected the in Pippin with fire plan he said that creatures were so cold they could extinguish fire the Jewish Talmud also mentions the salamander claiming it is a product of fire the Greeks and Romans detailed the mining of asbestos but by the Middle Ages society seems to have forgotten its origins apparently novel to middle-aged thinkers was the idea that asbestos was actually the fur of a salamander and was called salamander wool Arab scholars more often thought it was the cut feathers in an exotic bird well some Chinese authors described a kind of rodent that lived in volcanoes British paulinha Sir Thomas Brown later suggested that asbestos has taken on the metaphorical name of salamander wool but that the people started to take them too literally in the 13th century Marco Polo learned of asbestos mining in Asia and he wrote that the real truth is that the salamander is no beast as they allege in our part of the world but as a substance found in the earth still the myth of the salamander persisted even Leonardo da Vinci thought that the salamander had no internal organs and survived a fire alone in the early modern period scientists turned to the utility of asbestos research into the material exploded starting in the 17th century by 1700 the Royal Society had published eight reviews and letters on the mineral and in 1727 the first full volume on this bestest was published followed quickly by two others new applications seem to appear every day Italians made asbestos paper and later asbestos banknotes and fireproof gloves capes and clothes appeared to the travelling show of the human salamanders who were known for cooking a steak while standing in a bonfire Benjamin Franklin cared in asbestos coin purse with him in his youth so that the money would never burn a hole in his pocket he sold it in 1724 to the eventual benefactor of the British Museum Giovanni aldini known for his experiments using electricity to move the muscles of cadavers invented a line of fireproof clothing for firefighters in the early 1800s which became popular in places like Paris and Geneva asbestos stage curtains were credited with saving lives and theater fires and other suggested making an indestructible book of eternity of asbestos paper possibly the most important news for asbestos were in construction mixing with rubber created a fire resistant compound far more resilient steam gaskets vitally important advancing steam engines and boilers in the 1860s Henry Ward John's created an asbestos tar paper for roofs which could protect buildings from fire was this invention that began to truly open markets for the product austrian ludwig ax czech created fire resistant building panels that could be both thinner and stronger it's led to hundreds of products based on his invention including asbestos tiles corrugated panels and sealing moldings the fireproof material cost the sensation was hailed as a miracle mineral that could save thousands of lives and an era that lived in fear of building fires asbestos was perfect for the industrial age versatile and easily added to other materials there's mixed in to cement and wood to create fireproof ships and included in all kinds of plastic items from increased strength and as a binder it would become a staple of the flooring industry and vinyl asbestos tile so widely uses insulation of pipes water heaters and engines especially in trains and ships which use the product extensively was even used to make juice filters and breathing apparatuses as demand grew production had to match it the first industrial asbestos mine was open in the thick furred hills of Quebec in the late 1870s in thriving industries also blossomed in Germany England South Africa Australia and Finland it quickly became mechanized and by 1900 there were more than 30,000 tons being produced annually Henry Ward John's company invented more asbestos construction products but John's himself would die in 1898 probably of asbestosis the company would merge with the Manville company to become one of the biggest players in the industry johns manville in 1901 it was in the late 1800s and early 1900s that medical professionals started to notice health issues connected to asbestos in 1897 a doctor in Austria attributed patient's breathing problems to breathing asbestos and in 1898 report by the British government cited widespread damage and injury of the lungs due to the dusty surrounding of the asbestos mill the first confirmed death from asbestosis was reported in England in 1906 by dr. Montague Murray Murray performed an autopsy on that 33 year old patient and found large amounts of asbestos fibers in his lungs across Europe other reports of deaths from fibrosis were reported insurance companies were aware of the dangers to in as early as 1908 they decreased coverage and increased premiums for workers in the factories that used asbestos asbestosis is the damage caused to the lungs by tiny asbestos fibers the scarring within the lungs hinders oxygen for being transferred to the blood can take time for the symptoms to present because lungs have a kind of excess capacity but once this excess is gone the symptoms grow worse very quickly before it was understood the symptoms were often missed because it was often seen in conjunction with tuberculosis in pneumonia in 1824 the death of Nellie Kershaw who had worked spinning asbestos into yarn led to an inquest in which the pathologist Edmund Cooke identified minerals found in Chris's lungs as the primary cause of the fibrosis of the lungs and therefore of death because of these in other cases Edward Rowland Alworth Merryweather decided to study asbestos workers in textile factories with the help of CW Price an industrial engineer and pioneer of dust monitoring Merryweather put the dangers of asbestos into the greatest context yet a full quarter of the workers were suffering from asbestosis and those who had work longer were sicker the report underlined the seriousness of the disease and within a year legislation was passed in the UK to make efforts to reduce asbestos dust and require medical screenings for employees Meriweather felt that the study meant asbestos workers faced inevitable death the study was published simultaneously in the United States and became the most prominent study proving the danger of asbestos in 1933 Johns Manville confidently settled 11 claims from workers seeking disability due to lung damage thousands more would be brought against asbestos companies in the 1920s the companies were not blind to the danger the man sponsoring much of the research into the risk especially through the sir neck laboratory in upstate New York the industry expected control the outcomes as one sponsor explained its our further understanding that the results obtained will be considered the property of those advancing the required funds this enabled them to suppress some of the results of a 1940 study where 81% of lab mice exposed to asbestos dust developed lung cancer the warning signs couldn't slow the industry production tripled between 1900 and 1910 and in the late 1930s asbestos is already massively popular in 1939 the johns manville company built and this bestest man protecting mankind's buildings for display at that year's World's Fair the growing tensions of world war ii caused countries to stockpiles bestest for fear of disruptions in production and the u.s. asbestos was used in almost every facet of the war effort bazookas Jeep engines torpedoes and ship engines all used asbestos even army medics carried is an easily sterilized dressing used in American shipyards led to high rates of lung cancer and mesothelioma in shipbuilders u.s. asbestos consumption grew astronomically during the war in 1942 the US was consuming 60% of the world's production from 37% just five years earlier in 1949 Meriweather again broke ground with his annual report by the chief inspector of factories for 1947 show the victims of asbestosis were much more likely to develop cancers of the lung or lung lining than victims of silicosis in the general population the results were anonymously published shortly after in America proving that the connection between lung cancers in asbestos the first physician to make the connection was actually the German HW beveler in 1943 but the ongoing war meant his research was ignored meanwhile the use of asbestos in the knighted States actually reached its peak in the post warriors in Europe and Japan asbestos was used widely in the construction necessary to rebuild war-torn nations well in the u.s. the practical uses of asbestos men it became an integral part of thousands of products put into brake pads in cars in elevators used in hair dryers air conditioners electric insulation fake snow includes that use on the set of The Wizard of Oz Surgical thread irons and the filters of Kint micronized cigarettes and even as an abrasive in toothpaste but the consensus that the product was dangerous continued to grow multiple reports connected to occurrences of several kinds of cancers in the 1964 dr. Erving silica presented findings that deaths at a New Jersey asbestos factory were 25 percent higher than would be expected statistically still in the u.s. the powerful asbestos companies worked hard to downplay the risk the peak of asbestos consumption in the u.s. was reached in 1973 by the 1960s growing understanding that even small amounts of exposure could cause serious health effects finally began to take a toll on public opinion the Environmental Protection Agency created in 1970 became the crusader in 1973 it banned spray-on asbestos for insulating and fire proofing purposes the 70s would also see them been asbestos in cement pipes artificial fire embers and wall patching compounds in the 80s it required schools to document asbestos and remove it if dangerous to protect children and teachers though the cost of abatement was sometimes prohibitive in 1989 the EPA created the ban and phase out rule which would have eventually led to a complete ban of asbestos containing material the phase-out rule however failed to pass a clause and the Toxic Substances Control Act that required the EPA to find the least burdensome means to accomplish the task was overturned in 1991 the 1989 Act did been any new uses of asbestos today 55 nations have banned asbestos entirely but it's still not entirely banned in Canada in the United States where it can still appear in some products it's actually most popular in the third world where the market is growing and regulation is lacks blast asbestos mine the United States closed in 2003 last one in Canada in 2011 and still the legacy of asbestos exposure looms large were an estimated quarter million people a year die from complications due to asbestos exposure mostly from cancers like mesothelioma what was once touted as the miracle mineral that could solve almost any problem has now become the enemy largest bestest manufacturers like Johns Manville and Turner and Newell have fallen apart in the face of asbestos litigation through the corset litigation we find out that they probably knew more than anybody about the risk of asbestos and hid much of that knowledge in order to protect their profits still despite its risks asbestos traces a long thread through the course of human history I hope you enjoyed this episode of the history guy short snippets have forgotten history between 10 and 15 minutes long and if you did enjoy please go ahead and click that thumbs up button if you have any questions or comments or suggestions for future episodes please write those in the comment section I will be happy to personally respond be sure to follow the history guide on Facebook Instagram Twitter and check out our merchandise on teespring com and if you'd like more episodes don't forgotten history all you need to do is subscribe [Music]

Channel: The History Guy: History Deserves to Be Remembered

Views: 607,998

Keywords: history, the history guy, history guy, asbestos, mineral, building material

Id: -EJ-4koV7m0

Length: 15min 44sec (944 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 15 2020