Asbestos News: Philadelphia Asbestos Verdict $25.2 Million The jury in the case of Baccus v. Crane Co. recently awarded James Baccus’ Estate $25.2 million in compensatory and punitive damages.; Navy Firefighter Awarded $2.6 Million for Asbestos Related Cancer David Fortier was diagnosed with mesothelioma in October of 2006, and died in June of 2008. He filed a lawsuit shortly after his diagnosis, but he did not live to see his case decided.; Asbestos Plaintiff’s Body Subpoenaed, Taken from Graveyard Just Before Burial Harold St. John's body was never laid to rest when a court issued a subpoena for his body to collect tissue samples. Chrysler, one of the defendants in the lawsuit, maintains that the proceedings were necessary to obtain additional information about the way Mr. St. John died.

Asbestos History: First Use in 2500 B.C.

The earliest known use of asbestos was in about 2500 B.C. in what is now Finland. Fibers were mixed with clay to form stronger ceramic utensils and pots. The first written reference appeared in Greece around 300 B.C. when Theophrastus, one of Aristotle's students, wrote a book entitled On Stones. He mentions an unnamed mineral substance, which looks like rotten wood, yet isn’t consumed when doused with oil and ignited.

Greeks used it to make lamp wicks and other fireproof items. When the Roman naturalist and statesman Pliny the Elder wrote Natural History around 60 A.D., he described this fire-proof mineral and gave it the name asbestinon (meaning unquenchable), which is the origin of the English word asbestos.

Centuries of Fascination

The mineral’s qualities continued to fascinate the scientific community for centuries, but it wasn't until the 1800s that asbestos found commercial success. The first United States patent for an asbestos product was issued in 1828 for a lining material used in steam engines. In 1868 Henry Ward Johns of the United States patented a fireproof roofing material made of burlap and paper laminated with a mixture of tar and asbestos fibers. It became an immediate hit, as did other products.

Large-scale mining of asbestos deposits near Quebec, Canada began in 1878 and spurred the development of other commercial uses. By 1900, asbestos was being used to make gaskets, fireproof safes, bearings, electrical wiring insulation, building materials, and even filters to strain fruit juices.

Technology Spurred Even More Uses

Technological developments in the 1900s resulted in more uses for asbestos. For example, many early plastic materials relied on asbestos fibers for reinforcement and heat resistance. Additionally:

• Vinyl-asbestos tile became one of the most commonly used floor coverings and was produced well into the 1960s
• Automobile brake linings and clutch facings also used large amounts of asbestos, as did many building materials

WWII Increases Production

After World War II, asbestos was used in more and more products. Heart surgeons used asbestos thread to close incisions, Christmas trees were decorated with asbestos artificial snow, and even a brand of toothpaste was marketed using asbestos fibers as an abrasive.

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