History of Asbestos
Asbestos has had quite a history and has affected many people negatively. Most of the history of asbestos involves the covering up of its hazards. There have been bills introduced and rulings made regarding the use of asbestos. Read below to learn the details of the history of the hazardous product of asbestos:
Timeline of Asbestos & Knowledge of Risk
3000 BC – According to archeologists, asbestos was first used in Egypt and Scandinavia
2000 BC – Burial shrouds in Egypt were constructed with asbestos
50 AD – A Roman scholar, Pliny the Elder, coins the word asbestos and describes illnesses in slaves who had woven the mineral into cloths that were fireproof
1828 – U.S. patent issued for asbestos
1860s – Industrial use of asbestos expands
1890s – For large manufacturing operations, asbestos is used as a raw material, which exposes significant numbers of workers to asbestos particles for the first time
1900 – A textile factory worker dies from severe pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 33 and his doctor discovered asbestos fibers in his lungs.
1900-1910 – Asbestos milling and manufacturing workers reporting lung disease
1918 – The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics releases a report revealing abnormal early deaths among people working with asbestos.
Due to the dangerous working conditions of the asbestos industry, an official from Prudential Insurance Company states that life insurance companies will refuse coverage for asbestos workers.
1924 – The first documented death from asbestosis was published in the British Medical Journal.
1926 – The first successful Workers' Compensation claim is processed by the Massachusetts Industrial Accidents Board.
1930 – A report is sent out for internal company use at Johns-Manville about the medical reports of asbestos worker fatalities.
1931 – Regulations are implemented in England to reduce workers' asbestos exposure.
1932 – Asbestos dust is identified as "one of the most dangerous dusts known to man" in a letter from the U.S. Bureau of Mines to asbestos manufacturer, Eagle-Picher.
1933 –It is discovered by Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. doctors that 29 percent of workers in a Johns-Manville plant have asbestosis and the company settles in 11 lawsuits brought by employees.
1934 – According to Aetna Insurance's Attorney
Textbook of Medicine, asbestosis cannot be cured.
Johns-Manville and Raybestos-Manhattan conspire to manipulate a report written
by a Metropolitan Life Insurance Company doctor to make light of the dangers
of asbestos.
1935 – After ensuring they remain in complete control over disclosure of results of the health effects of asbestos, several asbestos companies agree to sponsor the research.
1942 – Owens-Corning releases an internal memo referring to medical literature on the hazards asbestos has on the skin and lungs.
1949 – Exxon sends out an internal, confidential memo documenting an employee diagnosed with lung cancer due to asbestos exposure.
1951 – Publication of sponsored research by asbestos companies, minus all mentions of cancer.
1952 – Recommendation by Johns-Manville medical director, Dr. Kenneth Smith, to attach warning labels to products containing asbestos is ignored.
1958 – Revealed in an internal office memo at National Gypsum Co., "Just as certain as death and taxes . . . if you inhale asbestos dust, you get asbestosis."
1964 – The Journal of the American Medical Association publishes a study showing that people working with asbestos-containing materials have a higher than normal occurrence of asbestosis, lung cancer, and mesothelioma.
1966 – The first asbestos liability case in the U.S. is filed in Beaumont, Texas against 11 asbestos manufacturers, and the ill employee who filed lost the case.
1970 – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) begins to regulate asbestos as a hazardous air pollutant after approval from Congress of the Clean Air Act.
1971 – For the first time, a Federal Court verdict is placed against asbestos manufacturers awarding damages to a worker to be upheld on appeal.
1972 – Workplace asbestos exposure limits are put in place by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
1973 – Spray-on asbestos insulation is banned by
the EPA as an air pollution danger.
Industry expert predicts approximately 25,000 previous and current workers
will die from asbestos-related diseases.
1976 – Despite warnings by the EPA, U.S. asbestos production hits all-time high at more than 1 million tons annually.
1978 – Judge rules that to avoid lawsuits, the asbestos industry made "a conscious effort" to withhold knowledge of the hazards of asbestos.
1979 – Building owners and industry employees are advised of the EPA's intention to ban all asbestos use and are guided on how to handle asbestos.
1981 – Internal memo from Dow (Chemical Company) states they think they are in trouble and may need a crash program.
1982 – The EPA issues the first regulation against asbestos use in schools under authority of the Toxic Substances Control Act.
1982-1989 – To keep children safe in schools and employees safe in public buildings, federal and state laws are enacted.
1986 – The Hazard Emergency Response Act is approved by congress and OSHA's asbestos exposure standard becomes stricter.
1989 – After being studied for 10 years, the EPA makes an announcement that all products containing asbestos will be phased out and banned. Products that hadn't already been acknowledged to contain asbestos were continuing to be banned.
1991 – Asbestos ban is upturned by Federal appeals court in New Orleans.
1994 – OSHA further intensifies standards for exposure to asbestos.
1999 – A ruling in Florida Supreme Court states that Owens Corning knowingly withheld information about the danger of working near or with asbestos.
2001 – The World Trade Center exposed many people to extreme amounts of asbestos dust.
2003 – Due to the asbestos damage caused by a vermiculite mine and processing facility in Libby, Montana from the years 1963-1992, W.R. Grace was ordered to repay the government $54.5 million worth of investigation and cleanup.
2003 – A national consumer awareness campaign is launched to educate homeowners about the use of vermiculite insulation in attics, which may harbor asbestos.
2004 – A bill called "Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act of 2004", FAIR, is introduced entailing that people with asbestos-related diseases would have a fund set up for them by the government to pay for related costs.
2008 – Named after politician Bruce Vento who died of mesothelioma in 2001, the House of Representatives introduced "Bruce Vento Ban Asbestos and Prevent Mesothelioma Act of 2008". The bill was intended to amend the Toxic Substances Control Act, which included reducing health risks from asbestos products and supporting education for the public about asbestos dangers.