This is a book review for a book that has a great history of asbestos, how asbestos was discovered, and what asbestos was first used for. It also details the reasons why there is an entire industry now which is built up around asbestos removal, and why it is so important that asbestos be removed.
The book is titled "Fifty Minerals that Changed the course of History" And is written by Eric Chaline
Here is an excerpt from the book:
The Miracle Fabric
The ancient Greeks and Romans knew that cloth woven from asbestos ( or more correctly amaintos) was not damaged by fire, and they considered it to be a magical material that warded off evil influences.They also had practical uses for the mineral: to make everlasting wicks for funerary lamps and shrouds for cremations than allowed bodies to be burnt and the mortal remains kept separate from the ashes of the funeral pyre. The first -century Roman writer and naturalist Pliny the Elder, although he made many errors in his description of the mineral, was among the first to note that asbestos weavers suffered from respiratory diseases. Despite this early awareness of the health hazards of asbestos, it would take another two millennia and countless deaths for its use to be controlled in the developed world.
During the Middle Ages, there are a few references to asbestos cloth, The Emperor Charlemagne, the first “ emperor of the Romans in Western Europe since the fifth century ( although he himself was a Frank, a descendant of the barbarians who had brought the Western Roman Empire to an end), had a tablecloth made of asbestos. After meals, he liked to amaze his dinner guests by throwing the cloth into the fire to clean it and pulling it from the flames unscathed. Pope Alexander III and the mythical Prester John, believed to be the ruler of a Christian kingdom in Central Asia, were both said to have robes woven from asbestos.
The rarity of asbestos in pre-industrial times combined with the much shorter life spans of average humans meant that deaths caused by exposure to the mineral would have been minimal. Its widespread industrial use in the developed world dates back only to the nineteenth century. At first, it was woven into fabric to be used as insulation. By the twentieth century, asbestos was widely used in building: in fire-retardant coatings, concrete bricks, pipes and pipe insulation, flooring, ceiling, roofing, garden furniture, and fireproof drywall. In the 1950s, the American cigarette brand Kent introduced the first filter-tipped cigarette, which used asbestos in its patented “Micronite” filters. Another major source of asbestos particles in the environment was due to its use to make the brake pads and shoes of automobiles until the 1990's.
Asbestos is not one mineral, but is made up of six different fibrous minerals: chrysotile, amosite, anthophyllite,actinolite, crocidolite, and tremolite. The fibers of chrysotile are serpentine (curly) and those of the other five are amphibole (needle shaped ). Chrysotile, also known as “ white” asbestos, is the most commonly found asbestos mineral in the Earth’s crust and accounts for 95 percent of asbestos products. The remaining 5 percent are made up of amosite, or “brown” asbestos, which is mined in South Africa and crocidolite, or “blue” asbestos, mined in South africa and Australia, which is also the most dangerous to humans. The world’s current leading producers of asbestos are Canada and Russia.
Asbestos is not a poison that kills quickly by attacking and breaking down the body’s tissues and organs as Arsenie and Mercury are known to do. Typically, illness and death from asbestos-related diseases are caused by exposure to the mineral over a long period of time.
If you need asbestos removed from your home or building don’t risk your health make sure it gets properly removed. Contact us today we will do it safely and professionally. Call today 773-345-7074 (click to call on mobile phone)
ADX Asbestos Removal, 125 S Clark St. Chicago IL 60603, 773-345-7074
The book is titled "Fifty Minerals that Changed the course of History" And is written by Eric Chaline
Here is an excerpt from the book:
The Miracle Fabric
The ancient Greeks and Romans knew that cloth woven from asbestos ( or more correctly amaintos) was not damaged by fire, and they considered it to be a magical material that warded off evil influences.They also had practical uses for the mineral: to make everlasting wicks for funerary lamps and shrouds for cremations than allowed bodies to be burnt and the mortal remains kept separate from the ashes of the funeral pyre. The first -century Roman writer and naturalist Pliny the Elder, although he made many errors in his description of the mineral, was among the first to note that asbestos weavers suffered from respiratory diseases. Despite this early awareness of the health hazards of asbestos, it would take another two millennia and countless deaths for its use to be controlled in the developed world.
During the Middle Ages, there are a few references to asbestos cloth, The Emperor Charlemagne, the first “ emperor of the Romans in Western Europe since the fifth century ( although he himself was a Frank, a descendant of the barbarians who had brought the Western Roman Empire to an end), had a tablecloth made of asbestos. After meals, he liked to amaze his dinner guests by throwing the cloth into the fire to clean it and pulling it from the flames unscathed. Pope Alexander III and the mythical Prester John, believed to be the ruler of a Christian kingdom in Central Asia, were both said to have robes woven from asbestos.
The rarity of asbestos in pre-industrial times combined with the much shorter life spans of average humans meant that deaths caused by exposure to the mineral would have been minimal. Its widespread industrial use in the developed world dates back only to the nineteenth century. At first, it was woven into fabric to be used as insulation. By the twentieth century, asbestos was widely used in building: in fire-retardant coatings, concrete bricks, pipes and pipe insulation, flooring, ceiling, roofing, garden furniture, and fireproof drywall. In the 1950s, the American cigarette brand Kent introduced the first filter-tipped cigarette, which used asbestos in its patented “Micronite” filters. Another major source of asbestos particles in the environment was due to its use to make the brake pads and shoes of automobiles until the 1990's.
Asbestos is not one mineral, but is made up of six different fibrous minerals: chrysotile, amosite, anthophyllite,actinolite, crocidolite, and tremolite. The fibers of chrysotile are serpentine (curly) and those of the other five are amphibole (needle shaped ). Chrysotile, also known as “ white” asbestos, is the most commonly found asbestos mineral in the Earth’s crust and accounts for 95 percent of asbestos products. The remaining 5 percent are made up of amosite, or “brown” asbestos, which is mined in South Africa and crocidolite, or “blue” asbestos, mined in South africa and Australia, which is also the most dangerous to humans. The world’s current leading producers of asbestos are Canada and Russia.
Asbestos is not a poison that kills quickly by attacking and breaking down the body’s tissues and organs as Arsenie and Mercury are known to do. Typically, illness and death from asbestos-related diseases are caused by exposure to the mineral over a long period of time.
If you need asbestos removed from your home or building don’t risk your health make sure it gets properly removed. Contact us today we will do it safely and professionally. Call today 773-345-7074 (click to call on mobile phone)
ADX Asbestos Removal, 125 S Clark St. Chicago IL 60603, 773-345-7074
