A Short Summary of the Asbestos Tragedy

From Paul Brodeur: "The Asbestos Tragedy"--

Asbestos, which comes from a Greek word meaning inextinguishable or unquenchable, is a broad term embracing a number of fibrous silicate minerals that are found in practically every country in the world. Although known to mankind as early as the Stone Age, when it was used in pottery, asbestos was considered a novelty until the late 1870s, when it began to be mined on a commerical basis. It soon achieved enormous industrial importance because of its unique and astonishing physical properties.

Brodeur's article is well worth reading. For books about asbestos by Paul Brodeur, see here.