Asbestos in history

Asbestos is named from the Greek asbeston, meaning inextinguishable or unquenchable, and describes not a single mineral, but a number of silicates distinguished by their fibrous structure, flexibility, strength and high resistance to heat and chemicals. These properties ensured the minerals’ use from the earliest times. Archaeologists have identified asbestos as a strengthener in earthenware from East Finland aged about 4.5ka. There is evidence of asbestos use in Cyprus during the classical period, for the manufacture of cremation cloths, lamp wicks, hats and shoes. The Egyptians used asbestos as embalming cloths, and the Romans for cremation wrappings. In early times, there was difficulty in deciding whether asbestos was a stone or vegetable. The geographer Strabo (64BC 21AD) described quarries on the Greek island of Euboea where there is found in the earth a stone which is combed like wool, and woven, so that napkins, which when soiled are thrown into the fire and cleaned as in the washing of linen, and Pliny (77AD) described it as linus vivum durable linen. In post-classical times and throughout the Middle Ages, its origin provoked much speculation and alchemists claimed that asbestos was the hair of a fire resistant salamander (Ross & Nolan, 2003). Commercial use began in the Ural region of Russia in the early eighteenth century, where the fibres were woven into cloth for gloves, aprons and hats in hightemperature metallurgical shops. In the nineteenth century, Jean Aldini, professor of physics at Bologna University, tailored asbestos cloth into a suit to protect against fire. He exhibited his suit in European capitals, including at the Royal Institution in London, and was commended by Michael Faraday (Murray, 1990).