THE ASBESTOS INDUSTRY

Asbestos had broad industrial application throughout the 20th Century. It was used in a wide range of products including, but not limited to, insulation, joint compound, wall texture, floor tiles, brake pads, cloth, gloves, aprons, fireproofing spray, and refractory materials. As early as the 1920's many of the nation's largest asbestos manufacturers knew that asbestos could cause lung disease. Yet, despite this knowledge, they did not warn their customers or even their own employees. Warnings did not appear on any asbestos products until the late 1960's, more than forty years after the hazard became known. To this very day, there are asbestos gaskets sold in the United States which carry no warning of the dangers associated with asbestos exposure.