History of Asbestos Overview

The history of asbestos goes back to Marco Polo's travels in China. The people he encountered had many different names for asbestos and used it as insulation or braided it into rope. They used the braided asbestos as indestructible wicks for oil lamps. Charlemagne, the first Holy Roman Emperor, made an asbestos napkin that he would "clean" by throwing it into the fire. Because the asbestos would not burn, the fire would simply burn the waste off the napkin and Charlemagne could reuse it.

The more modern history of asbestos began in the industrial age when use became widespread. Asbestos was used to insulate steam and fire-powered machinery. By the middle of the 20th century, there were thousands of different uses for asbestos, including fire retardant coatings, concrete, bricks, pipe and ceiling insulation, flooring, and roofing.

A history of asbestos would be incomplete without a mention of its dangers. Pliny the Elder, the Roman historian in the 1st century, noticed that slaves who worked in asbestos mines were less healthy than others. Pliny noticed that the asbestos caused, primarily, a respiratory disease and suggested that slaves use a respirator made of transparent bladder skin to protect themselves from the dust.

The first documented death related to asbestos came in 1906 and soon medical reports began to identify a mystery tumor. The term mesothelioma entered medical literature in 1931, and by the 1940s, it was being associated with asbestos. Unfortunately, at the urging of industry, public authorities and medical professionals continued to resist making the connection between Mesothelioma and Asbestos.

Perhaps one of the most important developments in the history of asbestos came in 1960 when The Lancet, a British medical journal, published and article linking asbestos with mesothelioma and then no one could deny the connection. Finally, this growing awareness led to some government regulations of asbestos. Contrary to popular belief, asbestos is still not banned in the United States. For more information about the government regulations of asbestos, visit our Asbestos Treatment page.

If you or a loved one has a history of asbestos exposure, you may want to visit our Mesothelioma Information section to learn more about the most critical danger of asbestos exposure.