Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals that were widely used commercially in the late 19th century due to their desirable physical properties like sound absorption and resistance to fire. Asbestos mining began over 4,000 years ago but large scale mining did not start until the late 19th century. Prolonged inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause serious illnesses including lung cancer and mesothelioma.

1. • Asbestos (pronounced /æsˈbɛstəs/ or /æzˈbɛ
stəs/) is a set of six naturally occurringsilicate
minerals used commercially for their desirable
physical properties

2. • Asbestos became increasingly popular among
manufacturers and builders in the late 19th
century because of its sound absorption,
average tensile strength, its resistance to fire,
heat, electrical and chemical damage, and
affordability. It was used in such applications
as electrical insulation for hotplate wiring and
in building insulation. When asbestos is used for
its resistance to fire or heat, the fibers are often
mixed with cement (resulting infiber cement) or
woven into fabric or mats.

3. • Asbestos mining began more than 4,000 years
ago, but did not start large-scale until the end
of the 19th century. For a long time, the
world's largest asbestos mine was the Jeffrey
mine in the town of Asbestos, Quebec.[4]

4. Fibrous tremolite asbestos
on muscovite

5. asbestos

6. Blue asbestos (crocidolite)
fromWittenoom, Western Australia.
The ruler is 1 cm.• .

7. Blue asbestos, teased to show the
fibrous nature of the mineral

8. • Asbestos (pronounced /æsˈbɛstəs/ or /æzˈbɛstə
s/) is a set of six naturally occurringsilicate
minerals used commercially for their desirable
physical properties.[1] They all have in common
their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long (ca.
1:20 aspect ratio), thin fibrouscrystals. The
prolonged inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause
serious illnesses[2]including malignant lung
cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis (a type
ofpneumoconiosis).[3] The trade and use of
asbestos have been restricted or banned in many
jurisdictions.