B.C. First written reference to asbestos appears in On Stones, penned by Theophrastus, a student of Aristotle. A.D. Pliny the Elder, a Roman scholar, gives asbestos its name and describes illnesses in the lungs of slaves who wove asbestos into fireproof cloth. 1828 First U.S. patent for asbestos, for useused as insulation for steam engines, is issued. Commercial uses of asbestos expand dramatically in industry and for building materials such as insulation, shingles and tar paper.
Doctors report lung disease among workers who milled and manufactured asbestos.
1931 England enacts health regulations to reduce worker exposure to asbestos. 1966 First U.S. product liability lawsuit is filed in Beaumont by ill worker against 11 asbestos makers. The worker lost the case. 1971 Federal court verdict against asbestos makers, awarding damages to a worker, is the first that ultimately will be upheld on appeal. Also, the U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyEPA first recognizes asbestos as a hazardous air pollutant.