Long being used by humans, asbestos is mentioned in ancient Roman and Greek times. Back then it was used to make cloth and clothes. It’s fire resistant properties were a surprise to the people back then, who were amazed to see a piece of cloth that could be cleaned only by exposing it to fire.
But even back then Roman and Greek historians and writers were aware of the dangers of working with asbestos. It was observed that the slaves which worked with the material had respiratory problems and pulmonary injuries. But lack of progress in medicine, and the fall of the Roman Empire, lost these claims in time.
Fast forward to the 19th century, asbestos was widely used as a construction material, for its insulation and heat resistance properties. But the widespread use of the material was what eventually led to it being deemed far too dangerous to be used. Asbestos compensation claims are among the highest, if not the highest, in any country. Nowadays there is a ban on the use of the material in almost every country. But the problem doesn’t stop here, because there are still a lot of buildings out there that were built using asbestos and that must have the material removed.
Tags: Asbestos