The archive / Health and environment
1900–1982 · Worldwide and Sweden
The miracle material that causes lung disease
Asbestos
Panic meter
The verdict
Warnings about asbestos existed around 1900. They were right, but the material was only banned in Sweden in 1982.
Reality meter
What was said?
Asbestos was the miracle material of the 20th century: fireproof, cheap and insulating. As early as the turn of the 20th century, British factory inspectors were reporting lung damage among workers, and asbestosis was described as a disease in the 1920s. The link to cancer became clear during the 1950s and 60s.
The verdict: what happened next?
Sweden banned the use of asbestos in 1982, and the EU imposed a total ban on new use in 1999. But the diseases often appear decades after exposure, and asbestos remains in many older buildings.
This is a case where the warnings were justified, and came far too late.
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