The written history of asbestos begins with Teofastro, a student of Aristotle, who described this material in his classic book “Of the Stones” which, around 300 BC, used fireproof clothing on the island of Euboea. Dioscurides, a Greek contemporary of Strabo, in his book erzieherin stellenangebote berlin De Materia Medica mentions paintings and recyclable scarves given to audiences from the theater (this was because the asbestos scarves were easy to clean and bleach with fire so that they could be reused other function).

Asbestos in Cyprus

It also points to another use of asbestos in Cyprus. The author gives the name of the mineral asbestos. Plutarch tells us of the perpetual flames that lit the Acropolis, with lamps sprout with asbestos wicks soaked in oil. Another contemporary author of the above, Pliny the Elder, was the one who gave the name asbestinone, meaning indelible or fireproof, in his “Natural History” and mentioned its use as a shroud for the cremation of corpses.

After long stints in the field of medieval alchemy and magic in the late 13th century and a visit to a Chinese mine, Marco Polo brought asbestos back into the scientific domain by classifying the material as rock. In the sixteenth century Georgious Agricola gave a detailed description of the different types of asbestos and their deposits in his “Treatise on Mineralogy”.

In the 17th and 18th centuries the whole world saw a marked increase in scientific interest in asbestos (Royal Society publications 1660, Frank E. Brückmann 1727, Martin F. Ledermüller and Torben Bergman). Economic exploitation, recreation and even fraud are greatly expanded and in 1820 Giovanni Aldini designed asbestos suits for firefighters in what is believed to be the first commercial exploitation.

Asbestos as insulation for steam engines

1828 Part of the first US patent for the use of asbestos as insulation for steam engines. By 1860 the use of asbestos reaches its maximum as its products directly become an essential element of fire safety in buildings, mixed with tar roofing, fireproof panels in theaters and so on.

The century ends with the use of asbestos in safes, to lubricate bearings, to line boilers, and to insulate electric wires and filtered juices. The twentieth century opened up employment in the construction of asbestos-cement mixtures (first board invented by the Austrian Ludwig Hatschez) and saw an extraordinary variety of uses of asbestos (tiles, wall and ceiling panels, mouldings, boats with asbestos boards and asbestos mixtures). plastic buttons, telephones and switch panels, vinyl tiles, asbestos car brake pads, etc.).

It was the giant Asbestos Man displayed at World Expo 1939 New York that marked a milestone in the recognition of these minerals’ utility. World War II saw a significant increase in the use of asbestos in military equipment (fireproof suits, parachute flares, engines, ships and torpedoes and scrubs) and the subsequent rebuilding led to the last major boom in trade and use (asbestos coatings sprayed on steel structures). ). of skyscrapers, fireproof mailbags, purification of fruit juices, wine and sugar, sutures in surgery, toothpaste, artificial snow, etc.). In 1973, US consumption of asbestos reached its highest point in history at 1 million tons per year.

Asbestos was then rejected

Fortunately, the use of asbestos was then rejected. Mainly due to medical advances and detection and prevention of mesothelioma disease (caused by inhalation of asbestos fibers) by several organizations worldwide and asbestos and mesothelioma laws in different countries.

What is happening in Europe today? Now, while billions of euros are being spent on former asbestos removal, it is allowing the importation and marketing of a new asbestos called chrysotile (made in Canada by the company Lab Chrysotile), or white asbestos hidden in vials, seals and other items of everyday use Utility, in addition to being used in major industry, is delayed but remains equal to or more dangerous than asbestos.

Consumer health is at risk. In fact, there is a lobby, an international asbestos conspiracy, responsible for putting this material back on the market.

In Europe, 70 million tons of chrysotile asbestos are Erzieherin Stellenangebote Berlin imported from Canada and legally distributed from the Port of Hamburg by Dow Chemical, a company with factories and offices around the world, including Spain (Madrid, Navarra, Tarragona).

Pablo Rodriguez is a freelance writer and medical researcher. He has written several articles on cancer and mesothelioma in particular. He is currently studying writing at the University of Buenos Aires.