Archaeologists and historians have found evidence of the asbestos use dating back to 3000 BC, when Egyptians used it to preserve the bodies of the Pharaohs.

The word 'asbestos' itself comes from a Greek term meaning ‘indestructible’ or ‘inextinguishable’.

In Ancient Rome, asbestos was woven into table linens, which were cleansed by simply tossing them into the fire and then removing them to be used again.

 

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With the boom of factories during the Industrial Revolution, new uses for the ‘magic mineral’ were discovered.

Widespread recognition of the occupational risks of asbestos in Britain, were reported in 1924 by Doctor Cooke, a pathologist, who investigated a case of a 33-year-old female asbestos worker. He noted, "Medical authorities in factories where asbestos materials are manufactured have long suspected this ‘dust’ to be the cause of chronic bronchitis and fibrosis.” 

The Doctor later recorded a case in 1927 involving the death of a 33-year-old male worker who died in similar circumstances. In that report he coined the term ‘asbestosis’ for the disease caused by exposure to asbestos fibres.

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