Asbestos mining started in the 1800s, and commercial use of asbestos fibers became popular during World War II. When the U.S. Consumer Product and Safety Commission passed the first asbestos laws, which banned its use in specific products, asbestos became less appealing to many manufacturers. In the 1980s, the Environmental Protection Agency supplemented the decades-old laws by prohibiting the development of any new uses for asbestos. Of course, any uses that had already been developed were still legal under those laws. Since the passage of those laws, asbestos exposure has gained public attention, but many people are still unaware of the risks involved.

Asbestos is a mineral that occurs naturally in fiber bundles, and the bundles can be separated into individual fibers. Asbestos fibers are resistant to heat, fire and chemicals, and they do not conduct electricity. With those characteristics, products containing asbestos were a perfect fit for many construction and manufacturing industries.

Asbestos products include brake shoes and clutch pads for automobiles, insulation for boilers and steam pipes on ships, and strengthening agents for cement and talc-based crayons. In the construction industry, asbestos fibers are used in ceiling tiles, paint that is lead based, plastics, adhesives, soundproofing material and insulation. As long as the fibers are encased and contained, with little chance of exposure under normal conditions, all of these uses are legal.

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