Asbestos

Asbestos is a type of mineral found in rocks that has a fibrous structure and so can be woven. Unlike other flexible woven material, it is capable of withstanding very high temperatures, and at the same time deflecting heat. Woven metal wire, for example, might do the first job, but would not do the second. For this reason, asbestos gloves, suits, and shields have been vital for protection in fire fighting. There are hundreds of uses for asbestos in industry and construction. Asbestos can be mixed with other materials, such as rubber, graphite, paint, and cement, for special purposes that demand extra flexibility, slipperiness, coating quality, or hardness. Asbestos is so useful that it was once found in almost all modern buildings and machines. Modern industry has also benefited from its uses as a material for electrical and sound insulation.

The unique properties of asbestos have led to its continued but restricted use. In this century, industries in the United States alone have used more than 30 million tons of asbestos. However, after 1950 health warnings about asbestos began to appear. Its small fibers, so useful in other respects, could also be inhaled and lodge in the lungs to cause a disease called asbestosis. This disease restricts normal breathing. Chronic shortness of breath turns sufferers into invalids. Worse still, there is also the risk that lung cancer may follow.