Asbestos – How Did This Highly Regarded Mineral Fall from Fame?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring material. For thousands of years mankind considered asbestos to be the miracle building material. In fact, the word asbestos comes from a Greek term that means inextinguishable.

Ancient Uses of Asbestos

During the Holy Roman Empire, asbestos was used as a building material and was used in textiles. The Egyptians used asbestos to wrap their dead. There are even apocryphal stories about a Roman Emperor who was so enamored by his asbestos tablecloth because he could throw it into the fire and it would come out clean and undamaged. Interestingly, even thousands of years ago, doctors and …read more