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Items made of asbestos were held in so great an esteem as to be of equal value
with gold; none but emperors and kings had napkins made of it. Supposedly,
Charlemagne had a tablecloth made of asbestos. Cleaning an asbestos cloth was
simple- it was simply thrown into a fire. Some antiquaries have believed that
ancients made shrouds of asbestos, wherein they burnt the bodies of their
kings, in order to preserve only their ashes, and prevent their being mixed
with those of wood, or other combustible materials commonly used in building
funeral pyres.
Others assert that the ancients used asbestos to make perpetual wicks for
sepulchral lamps. In more recent centuries, asbestos was indeed used for this
purpose. Although asbestos causes skin to itch upon contact, ancient literature
indicates that it was prescribed for diseases of the skin, and particularly for
the itch. It is possible that they used the term asbestos for alumen plumosum,
because the two terms have often been confused throughout history.
Asbestos fibers were once used in automobile brake pads and shoes. Since the
mid-1990s, a majority of brake pads, new or replacement, have been manufactured
with Aramid fiber (Twaron or Kevlar) linings (same material used in bulletproof
vests).
Kent, the first filtered cigarette on the market, used crocidolite asbestos in
its "Micronite" filter from 1952 to 1956.
Serpentine group
Chrysotile is the form of asbestos from the serpentine group that has been used
commercially.
In the United States, chrysotile has been the most commonly used type of
asbestos. Chrysotile is often present in a wide variety of materials, including
but not limited to
* sheetrock taping
* mud and texture coats
* vinyl floor tiles, sheeting, adhesives and ceiling tiles
* plasters and stuccos
* roofing tars, felts, siding, and shingles
* "transite" panels, siding, countertops, and pipes
* acoustical ceilings
* fireproofing
* putty
* caulk
* gaskets
* brake pads and shoes
* clutch plates
* stage curtains
* fire blankets
* interior fire doors
* fireproof clothing for firefighters
Amphibole group
Amosite and crocidolite were used in many products until the early 1980s. The
use of all types of asbestos in the amphibole group was banned in the
mid-1980s. These products were mainly
* Low density insulation board and ceiling tiles
* asbestos-cement sheets and pipes for construction, casing for water and
electrical/telecommunication services
* thermal and chemical insulation (i.e., fire rated doors, limpet spray,
lagging and gaskets)
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki