This timeline will chart the use of Asbestos through time up to the current period.
In the west it is first mentioned in Greek sources-thus its name 'Asbestos', meaning "inextinguishable“.
Marco Polo (a great explorer of the time) was also shown textile items made from asbestos cloth on his travels. For hundreds of years experiments on asbestos were carried out and records of findings recorded. Asbestos was woven into cloth linings for suits of armour, asbestos paper was used for writings and textiles were used by the wealthy.
Asbestos use in the UK re-emerged in the 1700s, but did not become popular until the Industrial Revolution during the late 1800s.
Although asbestos was reintroduced during the industrial revolution, (mid to late 19th Century) it was still a very expensive product and usage was relatively rare. The main uses during this period were in the pharmaceutical industry and armed forces.
Asbestos manufacture and usage peaked within the building, shipping and rail industries between 1940 and 1970. During this period it is estimated that 6 - 7 million tonnes of asbestos was imported, manufactured and used. Imports and usage peaked in the 1960s and 1970s with over 170,000 tonnes imported annually.
From 1970 onwards the public became increasingly aware of the health effects associated with asbestos. Because of this there was a steady decline in the use of asbestos containing materials within the UK. However it should be noted that although there was a steady decline, asbestos was still used in large quantities throughout the UK.
Millions of tonnes of asbestos were used right up until the full UK prohibition of asbestos in November of 1999, and there is evidence that it was still being used in some construction as late as 2000. In fact, the UK was home of the worlds largest asbestos manufacturing plant ‘Turner & Newell’ (located in Rochdale) which did not cease its asbestos operations until 1995.
Croatia banned asbestos as of January 1, 2006. Six weeks later, the Ministry of Economy, under political and commercial pressure, forced the Ministry of Health to reverse its position with the result that the manufacture of asbestos-containing products was permitted again.
Russia remains world’s largest asbestos producer, supplying 50% of the total amount. China is second with 22% share and Brazil is third with 15%.
First recorded uses of asbestos date back as early as 2500 B.C. Prehistoric shards and ware containing asbestos have been found in Finland, central Russia, Norway and Sweden.
The Egyptians were also great users of asbestos. Many asbestos containing products have been recorded within Egyptian history such as burial shrouds and candle wicks.
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