How Asbestos, "Miracle" Product of the 20th Century, Causes Mesothelioma

For a product as promising as the ads made it out to be, many would be surprised at the devastating effects it caused. Asbestos was used mostly during the 1900s through the 1970s as an insulator, in cements, adhesives, in paper production, in brake linings, and for many other purposes due to its strength and ability to resist heat. While the asbestos manufacturers became aware of the dangers exposure to asbestos held, they did not divulge this information to the public, employers or the navy.

Asbestos consists of fibers, that when inhaled, travel into the lungs where they remain dormant for several decades. The fibers can never be expelled from the lungs and can eventually cause mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer, to develop. The longer and more consistent your exposure to the toxic product, the more likely you will develop mesothelioma; however, it only takes one day of exposure to cause the serious disease.

Companies Tout the Benefits of Asbestos, but Omit the Serious Dangers

It all sounded so promising …

Two million years ago . . . nature formed a remarkable material which today we call asbestos. But she didn't make all asbestos with the same properties, as it is a mineral compound, and not a basic element. Powminco Asbestos has some unique properties that puts it in a league by itself. They include low combined water, low moisture absorption, no magnetic iron, and its readily wetted and coated by resin with excellent binder retention. Powminco fibres produce a smooth surface finish, and are completely fiberized and cleaned of all deleterious matter.

Powminco Asbestos is economical to use, with savings in time and effort due to complete uniformity and dependability in both processing and the product. Powminco Asbestos is used in hundreds of applications, from helping patch a crack in a swimming pool to reducing air pollution by serving as a media supplement in air filters. To find out how Powminco Asbestos can help you with your formulation problems, send for a free sample so you'll be able to determine its properties first hand.

(Powminco Asbestos Fiber ad, Modern Plastics Encyclopedia 1971-1972)

"Beautiful Smoothgrain Asbestos Siding Shingles"
The answer to what to use for nearly every type of construction plan! Century APAC – Keasbey & Mattison versatile asbestos-cement structural board-lends itself equally well to both interior and exterior siding applications… to new structures, repairs, additions, modernizations. And it helps you build better at less cost!

June 1951 ad in Practical Builder magazine (Johns-Manville)

Slatebestos blackboard is made from Portland cement, vermiculite, pulverized slate and long-fiber asbestos. These ingredients properly combined under hydraulic pressure, form homogeneous panels of great tensile strength. Being stone-like, Slatebestos has a negligible coefficient of expansion and is successfully used in all climates.

Beckley-Cardy Company ad, Chicago

You may be a relative stranger to the many ways that Johns-Manville Asbestos Fibre has solved problems for plastics manufacturers since the beginning of the industry. That's why we've prepared this new fact-filled brochure to tell just how the "Magic Mineral" from J-M can help you whether you work with cold-molded, Thermoplastic, or Thermosetting plastics. You'll read why J-M Asbestos Fibre, because it's the Chrysotile variety, provides the best combination of properties offered by any filler on the market. How it bulks, reinforces and hardens, adds fire- and heat-resistance, controls impact strength, improves dimensional stability… even reduces molding costs.

Johns-Manville ad

YOU FORGOT TO MENTION THAT IT CAUSES MESOTHELIOMA.

If you were exposed to asbestos at work or in the navy, and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, fill out the form so we can help.