Asbestos Use in the United States - Past and Present

Asbestos has been used in different parts of the world for more than 4,000 years. Evidence of its initial use was found in utensils and pottery that were recently excavated in Finland.

However, until the beginning of the 20th century it was barely used at all. At that point in time it was used primarily as thermal insulation in many of the steam engines that were being built. Since then it's been incorporated into literally thousands of different products.

In the United States the consumption of asbestos peaked during the 1970s. Four decades ago approximately 800,000 tons of the material was used yearly.

As evidence of asbestos-related diseases increased and as asbestos-related lawsuits proliferated, the consumption of these mineral fibers in the US dropped dramatically. Now less than 240,000 tons per year are used.

This naturally-occurring mineral initially gained widespread use because it did not cost much, it was plentiful and it was readily available. It can be found in the United States, Canada, Russia, and South Africa.

Industrialists loved to use asbestos primarily because it is so fire resistant. In addition it is very strong and is a poor conductor of heat and electricity. It is also resistant to chemicals. Consequently, it was heavily used in the thermal insulation, acoustical, and electrical industries in products that needed to be resistant to fire and chemicals.

Thousands of products incorporate asbestos in their manufacture. It can be found in automotive clutch linings and brakes, ceiling and floor tiles, cement/asbestos sheets and pipes, various paper products, as well as some textile products such as gloves and curtains. It was also used to insulate pipes and boilers.

Extremely popular in the construction industry, it was often sprayed onto beams, into crawl spaces, and between walls.

Between 1950 and 1970 more than one half of all of the large multistory buildings that were constructed used some form of spray-on asbestos. Back then the material was sprayed onto steel columns and beams with the intent of preventing them from collapsing or warping should there be a fire.

Asbestos accounted for anywhere from 5 percent to 95 percent of the fireproofing material that was sprayed on. If you were to touch this material (please don't) you would find it to be fluffy and soft. However, these very properties make it friable and extremely dangerous.

If material like this is compressed it can break apart. Then microscopic asbestos fibers would be released into the air. Anyone who inhales these particles may ultimately become a victim of a life-threatening asbestos-related disease such as mesothelioma.

This material, which often varies in color from pure white to a dark gray, might also have been painted over. In any case, the spray painting of asbestos was officially banned back in 1978.

If you or someone you love has mesothelioma, then you may be entitled to a substantial settlement.

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