Asbestos was named by the ancient Greeks who also recognized certain hazards of the material. It has been known and used for approximately 4500 years.

The Greek geographer Strabo and the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder noted that the material damaged lungs of slaves who wove it into cloth.

Asbestos became more widespread during the industrial revolution; in the 1860s it was used as insulation in the U.S. and Canada.

Development of the first commercial asbestos mine began in 1879 in the Appalachian foothills of Quebec . In 2005, 2.2 million tons of asbestos were mined worldwide. Russia was the largest producer with about 40% world share followed by China and Kazakhstan.

It was the wonder building product of the post World War II years; strong, light, durable, waterproof and fireproof, and a good insulator. Chemists knew it as a group of fibrous hydrated mineral silicates (including chrysotile, amosite, anthophyllite, and crocidolite) mined from deep underground. But collectively, these substances were more widely known as asbestos.

By the mid 20th century uses included fire retardant coatings, concrete, bricks, pipes and fireplace cement, heat, fire, and acid resistant gaskets, pipe insulation, ceiling insulation, fireproof drywall, flooring, roofing, lawn furniture, and drywall joint compound.

Asbestos fibres were also once used in automobile brake pads and shoes. Since the mid-1990s, a majority of brake pads, new or replacement, have been manufactured instead with linings made of ceramic, carbon, metallic and Aramid fiber ( Twaron or Kevlar the same material used in bulletproof vests ).

Between 1945 and 1980 in Australia, asbestos was widely used in the construction industry, as well as in shipyards, power stations, boiler makers and plumbing. It was a staple of home building too used in fibro cement, insulation, fireproofing, pipes, paint, floor coverings, ceiling tiles, and roofing materials. Such was the local and global demand for asbestos that it was mined in Australia and exported.

But there was a problem. Asbestos is highly toxic, causing a range of lung diseases, that are slow to develop but in many cases deadly.

It wasn't until the mid 1970s that the wider public was alerted to the dangers of asbestos. Gradually asbestos mining was phased out, and industries replaced asbestos with alternative products like fibreglass.

The use of asbestos in new construction projects has been banned for health and safety reasons in many developed countries, including the European Union , Australia, Japan, and New Zealand. A notable exception is the United States, where asbestos continues to be used in construction.