I was playing around on eBay the other day and came across for sale a copy of Ellis Island, The Coal Mines, to the Asbestos Capital of the World which I described in my January 22, 2021 blog at https://theasbestosblog.com/?paged=5&page_id=147. This is quite a book and I never expected to see a second copy on…
Read more
We are now into 1901 for our history review through the Minerals Yearbook. The scientists finally have capitulated to market forces that two distinct minerals will be mined and sold using the name “asbestos:” amphiboles and chrysotile. So, it is no longer “asbestos” versus “chrysotile” but, rather, it is “amphiboles” versus “chrysotile,” both of which…
Read more
The year was 1896 (or 1897) and the scientists employed by the United States Geological Survey at the Secretary of the Interior decided to expand their annual (almost annual) discussion on asbestos. One area on which they focused during this 1896-1897 edition was the ever broadening uses of asbestos in society during that time frame.…
Read more
As you may remember from my post last week, the 1892 Minerals Report for Asbestos discussed why Chrysotile fibers were not asbestos, although they appeared similar. See the first five sentences from the first page of that report. By 1895, the scientists threw up their hands and just refer to both asbestos and Chrysotile as…
Read more
I was reading Facebook the other day and saw a question on whether the the types of fibers which are considered to be “asbestos” have changed through the years. I decided to blog on this issue within the bounds of my current project reviewing the USGS Minerals Yearbooks. This topic is addressed by the United…
Read more
As I sort out my plans for a book on the international use of asbestos with a focus on safety and environmental issues related to shipbuilding, sailors, and shipbreaking, I will start my due diligence research with some United States historical documents called the “Mineral Yearbooks.” In summary this is a good place to start…
Read more
I have a historical sale brochure for Kaylo Insulation with no date, although we know that it has to be prior to 1958 as Owens Illinois then sold the Kaylo line to Owens Corning. This brochure is a good example of how the insulation industry was advertising their use of asbestos products. Initially, we know…
Read more
Dedicated to my English friends across the pond. The Child’s Guide to Knowledge: Being a Collection of Useful and Familiar Questions and Answers on Every-Day Subjects, Adapted for Young Persons, and Arranged in the Most Simple and Easy Language, By a lady has one heck of a title. My electronic edition was published in London…
Read more
This is it, so long as you are looking for information from 1899 to 1980. The Sourcebook on Asbestos Diseases: Medical, Legal, and Engineering Aspects authored by George Peters and Barbara Peters published in 1980 by Garland Publishing can be yours on Amazon for anywhere between $120 and $770 at https://www.amazon.com/s?k=sourcebook+on+asbestos+peters+1980&ref=nb_sb_noss or, alternatively, you may…
Read more
Much of the discussion about the commercial benefits of asbestos fibers to society begin their discussion in the 1870s or 1880s. However, that is somewhat too late. For those readers who like old pictures, today you are in luck. History will take us all the way back to 1830 with Art de se préserver de…
Read more
Recent Comments