Why did we use Asbestos?
Asbestos was described as a miracle fibre when it was discovered to have thermal and acoustic insulation properties, could resist chemical attack and could be mixed with virtually any other material and made in to 1000’s of different building products. Hence the reason why we have such a problem now of dealing with these materials as they could basically be anywhere within a building build prior to 1999. 1999 being a significant year as this was when Serpentine (White) asbestos which officially banned, as Amphibole (Brown & Blue) were banned in 1985. So asbestos was used up until quiet recently and in its hay-days of the 60s and 70s was shipped over by 1000s of tonnes and mass produced in asbestos mills.
Who is to say how many lives asbestos may have saved in the past by giving persons a few more seconds to get out of a burning building. The only figures we have are the increasing depths from asbestos exposure, such as Asbestosis, Mesothelioma and asbestos related lung cancer.