The name is derived for its historical use in lamp wicks; the resistance of asbestos to fire has long been exploited for a variety of purposes. Asbestos was used in fabrics such as Egyptian burial cloths and Charlemagne's tablecloth (which according to legend, he threw in a fire to clean). Asbestos occurs naturally in many forms (see below); it is mined from metamorphic rocks.

When asbestos is used for its resistance to fire or heat, the fibers are often mixed with cement or woven into fabric or mats. Asbestos is used in brake shoes and gaskets for its heat resistance, and in the past was used on electric oven and hotplate wiring for its electrical insulation at elevated temperature, and in buildings for its flame-retardant and insulating properties, tensile strength, flexibility, and resistance to chemicals. The inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause a number of serious illnesses, including mesothelioma and cancer. Since the mid 1980s, many uses of asbestos are banned in multiple countries.

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Site Footnotes
1 American Cancer Society
2 a b Wisconson Department of Natural Resources
3 American Cancer Society
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6 a b c Asbestos Resource Center
7 a b c Mesothelioma Center
8 a b c Understanding AsbestosMesothelioma Applied Research Center
9 a b University of Calgary
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Asbestos".