People were dying from asbestos exposure, in large numbers. There is a long time lag between being exposed to asbestos and symptoms presenting themselves – and we mean a long time lag (known as the latency period). It can be anything between 10 and 60 years from exposure to symptoms ...

In 1985, amosite (brown asbestos) and crocidolite (blue asbestos) were banned from being imported and used. In 1999, the use and import of chrysotile (white asbestos), was prohibited. The final ban made the manufacture and supply of all asbestos based products illegal.

It’s impossible to set out every type of industry where asbestos was regularly used, but here are some of the main ones: Railway engineering works Steel works Docks Shipbuilding Power plants Heavy industry Motor vehicle repairs Fire fighting Construction Mining Armed forces Carpentry Plumbing Boiler making Electrical wiring and installation

Asbestos material and products were used in the UK for all sorts of different purposes, including; Boiler insulation Brake pads and shoes Pipe lagging Fire protection Cement products Asbestos woven textiles Ceiling tiles Industrial gaskets Fireproofing & fireproof clothing Floor tiles Roofing Fire doors The marine industry Caulking – the ...

Crocidolite – also known as ‘Blue Asbestos’. It is hugely toxic. Its fibres resemble needles, and this is what makes them so dangerous. When they are inhaled, they cause great damage to the lungs. Blue asbestos was mainly used in a spray-on format. Amosite – also known as ‘brown asbestos’. ...

Asbestos is the name for a fibrous group of minerals.  The flexible fibres that make up asbestos, are heat resistant.  Since asbestos  is fire resistant and has excellent insulating properties, it can be used for a whole range of different purposes. It has been widely used as a building material, ...