Asbestos has been mined and used for over 4,000 years although it was not mined on a large scale until the 19th century when it started to be used in housing.
The word asbestos comes from the ancient Greek, meaning “unquenchable” or “inextinguishable”. Even in Ancient Greece it was used and people who worked with asbestos became sick although no one knew why.
Asbestos then became even more popular as Great Britain and to a lesser extent the rest of the world, began the Industrial Revolution with a need to control the heat used to power all the machinery. Asbestos was used to insulate the steam pipes, turbines, oven and kilns.
The first asbestos mines opened in 1879 in Quebec providence of Canada and then in Russia, Australia, and South Africa. By 1900, doctors started to report lung sickness in patients who had worked in asbestos textile factories and asbestos mines, but it was not until 1924 that the very first case of asbestosis was diagnosed and it was later called mesothelioma.
Despite the health concerns, asbestos became very important in the United States as the railroads were built and it was used to prevent heat buildup and temperature fluctuation in steam powered trains. , By the break out of the Second World War, asbestos was being used in the shipping industry, the automobile industry and in the construction industry.
If you have been diagnosed with asbestos a related disease, you may be entitled to monetary compensation. Contact the Law Office of Brayton Purcell, LLP at (800) 598-0314 immediately, or contact us online for a free consultation.
