Unveiling the Hidden Threat: Where is Asbestos Found?

July 27, 2022

Have you ever wondered where asbestos came from? It’s now considered a silent threat. It lurks in many structures and environments worldwide.

This material was once versatile and durable. It was a partner for convenience and progress. It made its way into many products and industries for many decades.

Unfortunately, many have been in the dark. They don’t know about the many grave health risks of asbestos fibers and materials. Thus, it is important to know more about its pervasive nature and origins.

In this article, we embark on an exploration with you as we uncover where asbestos used to exist. We write this to help. We hope this knowledge will show how to avoid the dangers of asbestos. It will also help with other dangerous materials.

The Origins of Asbestos Materials

For the curious: did you know that asbestos’s history goes back thousands of years? Many of the names once used to identify it were also pretty peculiar.

These facts may seem irrelevant, but this gives us a deeper understanding regarding where asbestos material used to exist and where it is now, beyond vinyl floor tiles and heat-resistant fabrics!

Asbestos Origins: Names Associated With It

Asbestos was not always called as such, and there is an interesting history to back this up. Pliny the Elder once called it “live linen”. Pausanis dubbed it the “linen of Karpas”, based on where they saw it on the island of Cyprus.

Marco Polo and Travels

Many also associated asbestos with the salamander due to its being “fireproof” (i.e., thermal isolation and fireproof properties). Marco Polo himself, a renowned historian and traveler, wrote about it in his Milione—his travel journal from the early Medieval period.

Polo described it as a “substance” with the salamander’s nature because it remains incombustible even when thrown into fire or woven into clothing.

Benjamin Franklin and Mass Production

Centuries later, we also note acclaimed scientists such as Benjamin Franklin also referring to asbestos as “salamander cotton”.

This interesting piece of trivia gave birth to the trade name “Salamandra”, which a lot of mass producers utilized in the creation of the very first thermo-resistant mattresses, and even in some wood-burning stoves then.

Ernst Baader and the Rise of Diseases

Moving forward in the 1960s, an occupational specialist by the name of Ernst Baader called asbestos “Bergflachs-lunge”, which he associated with a new form of pneumoconiosis that literally translates into “mountain linen lung”.

All of these humble beginnings seem to foreshadow what would be the many dangers of asbestos exposure to people’s lungs and what would come out to be asbestos-related conditions like mesothelioma and lung disease, afflicting many people – due to the release of fibers into the air through asbestos products and asbestos exposure.

Asbestos Origins: Its Many Locations Across the Years

Now that we know the names by which historians and academics call asbestos, we take a look at its locations and origins.

19th-Century Asbestos

Dating back to the 19th century, commercial asbestos was prevalent in places like Russia, Canada, and Italy, particularly between 1866-1890. Australia and South Africa followed as asbestos repositories between the two major World Wars.

Soon after, Canada also gained access to it.

Late 18th-Century Asbestos

By the late 18th century, South Africa led amphibole (a type of asbestos) production and in the 1930s, Australia. It was only in 1992 when amosite production ceased; asbestos enjoyed the perks of production for almost eighty years in the Pengue mine.

Finland was also a location origin for anthophyllite asbestos; it only stopped producing asbestos after fifty years of activity, back in 1975, when reports of the dangers of airborne fibers surfaced. Crocidolite mining also happened in Australia and stopped about fifty years ago.

Asbestos already existed as far back in 2500 B.C. in modern-day Finland. They mixed clay with asbestos fibers, resulting in the formation of stronger pots and ceramic utensils; they also utilized patching compounds and used it in thin lining, ceiling tiles, coal furnaces, door gaskets, steam pipes, and other friction products.

In China and Greece, asbestos was used as a textile. Can you imagine that this happened as far back as 1000 to 1500 B.C.E.?

Asbestos Origins: Commercial Use Across the Decades

Beyond where asbestos used to be mined and produced, we also delve deep into knowing where the material is found based on commercial use and versatility.

It all began through professional-trained, mass production of goods – whether containing asbestos or using asbestos material as a whole – beginning as textiles in Anglo-Saxon countries and in Italy.

The very first type of asbestos to be used at a widescale and industrial level was actually crocidolite asbestos. This first happened at the United Kingdom and in South Africa; in 1918, its use in fraction materials like brake linings, brake pads, and clutches was first seen.

Then came asbestos cement, spearheaded by the USA, Austria, and Italy in the late 19th century. Tracing back to 1882, we find asbestos use in insulation materials rather than hemp usage, and in 1931, even materials like spray-on asbestos were developed in Great Britain.

By the 1950s, one can find asbestos already in almost any aspect of everyday life, in asbestos-containing products like shoes, wicks, cigarette filters, fake logs for gas fires, more insulation, and in artificial snow used in film sets and Christmas decorations.

It was only in 1970 when the peak of asbestos production began to stop and when governments started to limit access and remove asbestos due to reports surrounding prolonged exposure and improper handling; many an environmental protection agency also called for the ban.

This constant cessation of operations stabilized up to the early 2000s, with 2015 asbestos production dropping to an all-time low.

Asbestos Today: Where is Asbestos Found?

Beyond tracing the history, it is also important to know the specific sources of asbestos – what are the asbestos-containing materials that release asbestos fibers and which are culprits for asbestos exposure and other asbestos-related concerns.

Did you know that the modern era of asbestos began in 1965, in England? The Asbestosis Research Council began espousing the use of a membrane filter method, which was used for asbestos testing (especially for inspecting fibers), and in checking any asbestos material as well as other building materials (e.g., floor tiles, construction materials) for traces of microscopic asbestos fibers.

The Modern Era: Specific Sources of Asbestos Material Across the Years

Let’s take a look at some specific sources of asbestos and where is asbestos found. An example of asbestos-containing products is what we know as ‘spray on use’.

This was prevalent in the UK’s asbestos materials, which later banned crocidolite due to exposure risk and dangers of microscopic fibers; other countries and an environmental protection agency followed suit.

Asbestos exposure has also been an issue linked to asbestos-related construction materials and other sources, particularly in automotive parts (e.g., car brakes), construction (e.g., vinyl sheet flooring, popcorn ceilings), industrial equipment (e.g., steam pipes coated), textiles, insulation, and even in soil and rock.

In this era, the two major sources are automotive parts and construction.

Automotive Parts

In modern times, asbestos was used in various automotive parts for its heat resistance and durability, particularly in brake and clutch components. Brake pads and linings, clutch facings, and door gaskets within automotive systems were sources of asbestos.

In brake systems, asbestos was often incorporated into brake pads and linings to improve friction and heat dissipation properties, thereby enhancing braking performance. Asbestos-containing clutch facings provided the necessary friction and wear resistance for smooth operation.

Gaskets and seals in engines and exhaust systems also contained asbestos to withstand high temperatures and pressure. While regulations and industry practices have reduced the use of asbestos in automotive parts, older vehicles and certain aftermarket products may still contain asbestos, posing risks of exposure during maintenance or repair activities.

Therefore, careful handling and proper disposal of automotive components suspected to contain asbestos are essential to mitigate any health hazards.

Construction

In modern-day construction, asbestos can still exist in various building materials, particularly in structures built before the 1980s when its use was more prevalent.

Common sources of asbestos in construction include insulation materials such as asbestos-containing pipe insulation and attic insulation, as well as roofing materials like asbestos-containing cement sheets or shingles.

Flooring materials such as vinyl tiles and linoleum may also contain asbestos, along with cement products including corrugated sheets and pipes.

While regulations have reduced asbestos use in construction, older buildings may still harbor asbestos-containing materials, necessitating careful assessment and management during renovation or demolition to prevent fiber release and potential health risks to occupants and workers.

Finding Asbestos: What’s in Store for the Future

Knowing the various sources of asbestos material not just today but also in the past helps us understand what its future effects for us are.

It is key to note what the health hazards and possible repercussions for the general environment are, as what asbestos abatement professionals and many an environmental protection agency have called for.

Asbestos Testing

Knowledge of asbestos sources clearly helps in asbestos testing.

Normally, the first step is to do a visual inspection, where someone qualified – an asbestos professional or home inspector, usually linked to the Consumer Product Safety Commission – is tasked to identify asbestos and check materials and other materials, as well as structural parts (e.g., vinyl floor tiles, roofing shingles, and other types of floor tiles).

Afterward, they collect samples of suspected materials (i.e., ‘may contain asbestos’, which are handled properly and subject to analysis in an accredited lab.

Great caution is utilized in handling these suspected asbestos products, so as not to release fibers and to prevent exposure to asbestos.

Air Monitoring

We know where we can find them (e.g., heat-resistant fabrics, building materials, friction products, brake pads, and home insulation). Another way to prevent asbestos exposure is air monitoring. This has been common in calls to remove asbestos.

The American Cancer Society supports these calls. They also urge close observation of any source that may contain asbestos.

Getting air samples is crucial. They help assess asbestos fiber levels. This also helps with job safety. It is like a geological survey.

Risk Mitigation

Lastly, at the end of the day, the best thing that we can do regarding asbestos is to handle risk mitigation.

Those who have been exposed to asbestos will agree that vigilance against any lung disease and other asbestos-related diseases, or release of its fibers into the air, is pivotal.

Beyond just knowing where one may find them, regular testing and targeted mitigation strategies will help.

Regulatory compliance will also help, too, including proper occupational safety for many workers. In the long run, we can avoid asbestos exposure by avoiding asbestos products and exposure.

You can join an environmental protection agency or not. But, what’s more important is not to use asbestos products or materials. Otherwise, a home dangerous to one can be a danger to many.

Asbestos in the Home

Caulking
Ceiling tiles
Cement Sheeting
Concrete
Duct Connectors
Electrical Breakers
Electrical Components
Felt Wiring
Insulation
Millboard
Plasters
Roof Shingles
Sheetrock
Siding
Textured Popcorn Ceilings
Vinyl Floor Tiles

Asbestos exposure is hazardous and can lead to asbestos-related illnesses. It is crucial that you handle the material carefully. If you mishandle asbestos, it can release fibers into the air. These fibers can be inhaled and may become stuck in internal organs, including the lungs, heart, and abdomen. If you suspect asbestos in a building, you can hire a professional to come, take samples, and test for it. If you know asbestos is present, you should hire an abatement professional to remove it safely. An abatement professional is a highly trained individual who gained their credentials by receiving training and accreditation. These professionals follow both federal and state laws while working.

The EPA recommends that the general public does not attempt to handle asbestos due to how dangerous exposure can be.

Asbestos in Buildings

A - D

E - H

I - L

M - P

Q - T

U - Z