Early civilizations in what is now Finland recognized the usefulness of asbestos about 3,000 years ago. The Persians, Greeks, and Romans continued its popularity 1,000 years later. Even up through the 20th century, we utilized asbestos in a number of different products until it was phased out and banned starting in 1989.

Asbestos is extremely useful both due to its own characteristics, but also as a silicate mineral. Silicates in general tend to be highly resistant to many different things, which makes them great insulators. Silicate minerals protect against chemicals, heat, flame, and electricity. They are also highly resistant to biodegradation. Additionally, asbestos has several useful properties on its own. It has high tensile strength and is very flexible, which means that it can easily be spun into cloth as well as added to other materials.

There exist six types of asbestos that are divided into two different families. First, the serpentine group contains chrysotile. This is the most widely used type of asbestos. Second, the amphibole family has the other five types, amosite, crocidolite, anthophyllite, tremolite, and actinolite. Amosite is the second most popular type of asbestos after chrysotile, followed by crocidolite.

These three most popular types of asbestos can be divided into three different color groups as well: white, brown, and blue. Chrysotile belongs to the white group, and it is characterized by curly fibers (as opposed to the needlelike fibers of all of the other asbestos types). Also, it is more flexible than the others as well. The brown group consists of amosite fibers. Amosite is long and jagged and is found in Africa. Lastly, crocidolite is the member of the blue group. Crocidolite is made of long, thin fibers that are typically considered the most dangerous type.

Because of these particular qualities of the different types of asbestos, we discovered specific uses for the different forms. The amphibole family was typically used for insulation board, ceiling tiles, cement, pipes, casing, and as insulation for thermal and chemical items. On the other hand, the serpentine family, and subsequently chrysotile, was found to be most useful for many more products. Thus, it's no surprise that chrysotile accounts for an estimated 95% of the asbestos used in buildings.

Chrysotile was used in many things, including:
Gaskets
Brake pads
Fire blankets
Caulk
Joint compound
Roofing tars
Plaster

Now, we know that asbestos causes a number of health issues such as mesothelioma and asbestosis. If you or someone that you know has developed mesothelioma due to illegal asbestos exposure, you should consider talking to a lawyer to learn about your rights.

For more information on mesothelioma, check out the mesothelioma lawyers at the firm of Williams Kherkher today.