Jump to content

Asbestos History Timeline

From WikiMesothelioma — Mesothelioma Knowledge Base


Asbestos History Timeline
Chronology from ancient use to modern regulation
Timeline Span 4700 BCE – 2024 CE
Key Eras 7 major periods
Major Events 30+ milestone dates
First Health Doc ~77 CE (Pliny)
EPA Ban March 18, 2024[1]
Global Ban Status 72 countries banned[2]
Free Case Review →

Asbestos History Timeline: From Ancient Origins to the 2024 EPA Chrysotile Ban

Executive Summary

Asbestos use spans nearly seven millennia, from ancient Anatolian pottery dated to approximately 4700 BCE through the United States Environmental Protection Agency's March 18, 2024 final rule banning all ongoing uses of chrysotile asbestos—the only form currently imported and used in America. The historical arc reveals a stark pattern: industrial societies benefited from asbestos's remarkable physical properties (tensile strength, heat resistance, thermal and electrical insulation) while systematically suppressing knowledge of its lethal health effects. The Roman naturalist Pliny documented respiratory disease in slaves working asbestos quarries around 77 CE. European industries mined and processed asbestos for centuries before the connection to mesothelioma became scientifically documented in 1960 through J.C. Wagner's landmark South African study. Corporate knowledge of asbestos dangers emerged in the 1930s—documented in the Sumner Simpson Papers—yet manufacturers concealed findings from workers and regulators for four decades. The Selikoff Era (1964 onward) brought asbestos hazards into scientific consensus; OSHA and EPA regulations followed in the 1970s. Corporate bankruptcy filings (Johns-Manville 1982, Raymark 1989) consolidated over $30 billion in trust funds to compensate victims. The EPA's 2024 chrysotile ban represents the first comprehensive federal prohibition after three decades without a national ban—a regulatory gap created when the Fifth Circuit vacated the EPA's 1989 ban in November 1991. This timeline documents 6,700 years of asbestos history spanning discovery, industrial expansion, hidden knowledge, scientific vindication, litigation, and ultimate regulatory closure.

Key Facts

Asbestos History Timeline: Key Dates & Figures
  • Earliest documented use: ~4700 BCE, Finnish pottery with asbestos fibers (Neolithic era)[3]
  • First health documentation: ~77 CE, Pliny the Elder described respiratory disease in asbestos miners in Roman quarries[4]
  • Karystos quarries (Greece): Active by 500 BCE; supplied asbestos for luxury goods and temple insulation[5]
  • First industrial patent: 1828, asbestos textile process patented in England[6]
  • Raybestos founded: 1906, Bridgeport, Connecticut; pioneer in asbestos brake products[7]
  • Merewether & Price Report: 1930, first comprehensive occupational study in UK; led to British regulations (1932)[8]
  • Sumner Simpson Papers (October 1, 1935): Secret Raybestos-Manhattan correspondence: "the less said the better"—evidence of early corporate knowledge suppression[9]
  • WWII Shipyard Era (1941–1945): 4.5 million workers exposed; classified health survey found asbestos at 10x safe levels (1944)[10]
  • Dr. Richard Doll Study (1955): 14-fold increased lung cancer risk in asbestos workers—first rigorous epidemiological proof[11]
  • Dr. J.C. Wagner Study (1960): 33 cases of diffuse pleural mesothelioma in South African crocidolite miners; established causal link (237+ citations)[12]
  • Selikoff Conference (1964): New York Academy of Sciences convened international scientific consensus on asbestos dangers[13]
  • OSHA established (1970): First federal workplace asbestos guidelines; PEL 5 f/cc → 2 f/cc (1976) → 0.2 f/cc (1986) → 0.1 f/cc (1994-present)[14]
  • EPA identifies asbestos hazard (March 31, 1971): Listed as hazardous air pollutant under Clean Air Act Section 112[15]
  • Borel v. Fibreboard (1973): First successful asbestos personal injury verdict; established strict liability for manufacturers[16]
  • Johns-Manville bankruptcy (August 26, 1982): $1.2 billion company filed Chapter 11 with 16,500 pending claims; established precedent for corporate liability[17]
  • EPA partial asbestos ban (July 12, 1989): Prohibited manufacture of nearly all asbestos products; overturned November 15, 1991 by Fifth Circuit[18]
  • Raymark bankruptcy (1989): Connecticut facility operations ceased; later emerged 2001 with trust fund[19]
  • Congressional ban attempts: Eight legislative efforts 2002–2025 (Murray Bill, Bruce Vento Act, ARBAN Act); none passed through both chambers[20]
  • EPA 2024 chrysotile ban (March 18, 2024): First comprehensive federal prohibition after 33-year regulatory gap; effective May 28, 2024[1]
  • Global ban status (September 2025): 72 countries imposed national bans; Russia remains largest producer (60% world supply)[2]

Ancient Era: 4700 BCE – 394 CE

When did ancient civilizations first discover and use asbestos?

Asbestos use predates written history. Archaeological evidence documents asbestos fibers incorporated into pottery from Neolithic Finland dated to approximately 4700 BCE.[3] The Erechtheion, an ancient Greek temple completed in 394 BCE, utilized asbestos in oil lamps, where the material's incombustibility provided obvious practical advantages.[21] By 500 BCE, the quarries of Karystos in southern Euboea (modern-day Greece) had become the Mediterranean's primary source of asbestos, supplying fibers for decorative cloths and temple insulation in wealthy Greek city-states.[5] The material acquired mystical properties in the classical imagination—ancient writers sometimes confused asbestos with the mythical salamander, a creature supposedly born from fire and immune to flame.

The Roman naturalist and military commander Pliny the Elder (~23–79 CE) documented the first known health observation of asbestos workers, noting that slaves assigned to asbestos quarries and processing facilities suffered from a "sickness of the lungs."[4] Pliny described protective devices—ancient respirators fashioned from animal bladder—that workers attempted to use in asbestos mines, indicating contemporary awareness of occupational hazard even without understanding disease mechanism. These fragmentary accounts represent the earliest documentary evidence linking asbestos exposure to respiratory disease, predating modern occupational medicine by nearly two millennia.

Ancient Era Timeline Event Historical Significance
~4700 BCE Asbestos fibers in Neolithic Finnish pottery Oldest documented asbestos use globally[3]
~500 BCE Karystos quarries active in Euboea (Greece) Supply network for Mediterranean luxury markets
394 BCE Erechtheion completed (Athens) Asbestos used in temple oil lamps for incombustibility
~77 CE Pliny documents respiratory disease in asbestos miners First recorded health observation; respirators described
"Ancient peoples recognized that asbestos could not burn, making it invaluable for sacred lamps and decorative cloths. Yet Pliny's observations of disease in quarry workers were lost to history for nearly two thousand years. The Romans solved the asbestos problem technologically—with bladder respirators—but never solved it systematically. Modern industry, with vastly greater knowledge and resources, instead chose concealment."
— Rod De Llano, Partner, Danziger & De Llano

Medieval Era: 1165 – 1725

How did medieval and Renaissance societies understand asbestos?

During the medieval and Renaissance periods, asbestos entered European consciousness through trade routes and legend. Medieval manuscripts referenced the "salamander myth"—the erroneous belief that a fire-resistant mineral could come from a living creature. Marco Polo's late 13th-century travels through Central Asia brought Western merchants into contact with Himalayan asbestos sources. The legend of Prester John—a fabled Christian kingdom rumored to exist in Asia—included descriptions of "asbestos cloth" and "fire-proof materials," which drove speculative expeditions and early trading ventures.[22]

By the 16th century, European scholars had begun distinguishing asbestos as a mineral rather than a biological product, yet its practical applications remained limited. The material appeared in luxury goods: fine decorative cloths exported through Venetian merchants commanded premium prices because of the perceived magical property of incombustibility. Benjamin Franklin's 1735 correspondence documented his fascination with asbestos, noting that European manufacturers used it in fireproof cloth and insulation for furnaces and chimneys.[23] However, medieval and early modern understanding remained divorced from health effects—workers processed asbestos without documented awareness of disease risk.

Medieval Era Timeline Event Historical Significance
1165 Prester John legend references asbestos Drives European interest in Eastern sources
~1270 Marco Polo encounters Central Asian asbestos Trade network expansion
1500s Asbestos distinguished as mineral (not biological) Shifts from mythical to practical status
1735 Benjamin Franklin documents asbestos use in fireplaces First American colonial reference

Early Industrial Era: 1828 – 1898

When did asbestos become an industrial commodity?

The 19th century transformed asbestos from a boutique luxury material into an industrial commodity. The first asbestos textile processing patent was filed in England in 1828, marking the beginning of systematic commercial development.[6] Industrial expansion accelerated after 1860 when Canadian deposits in Quebec were discovered and exploited. The development of mechanical looms and spinning technology made asbestos cloth economically viable for mass production. British factories established near port cities to facilitate import of raw asbestos fibers and export of finished textiles.

Occupational disease documentation began appearing in medical literature by the late 19th century. A British factory physician, Lucy Deane, published observations in 1898 of respiratory disease in female workers at an asbestos textile factory—one of the earliest formal occupational health studies linking asbestos exposure to pulmonary disease.[24] Deane's report, published in the Medical Register, described chronic cough, shortness of breath, and chest pain in workers, though the term "asbestosis" had not yet been coined. Industry response to Deane's findings set a pattern: minimal acknowledgment and no systemic change in workplace conditions.

Early Industrial Timeline Event Historical Significance
1828 First asbestos textile patent (England) Beginning of mechanized asbestos production
1860 Canadian asbestos deposits discovered (Quebec) Massive expansion of global supply
1898 Lucy Deane reports respiratory disease in textile workers First formal occupational study in English medical literature[24]

Industrial Revolution: 1899 – 1935

How did the 20th century industry boom transform asbestos use and conceal known hazards?

The early 20th century witnessed explosive expansion of asbestos applications and deliberate suppression of health information. The Raybestos Company was founded in Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1906, pioneering asbestos-based brake linings and friction products for the rapidly expanding automotive industry.[7] Between 1902 and 1929, the company grew through the acquisition of Manhattan Rubber and U.S. Asbestos, forming Raybestos-Manhattan Corporation in 1929—a conglomerate that would dominate American asbestos manufacturing for the next 60 years.[25]

The 1930 Merewether and Price Report, commissioned by the British government, represented the first comprehensive occupational epidemiological study of asbestos workers. Conducted by H.A. Merewether and C.W. Price, the study documented asbestos-related lung fibrosis in 80% of workers at a British asbestos factory, establishing the disease pattern later termed "asbestosis."[8] The British government responded by implementing workplace regulations in March 1932, requiring exhaust ventilation and dust suppression in asbestos factories. The United States, by contrast, adopted no federal occupational asbestos standards until 1970.

The most significant revelation of the early industrial era came with the discovery of the Sumner Simpson Papers. On October 1, 1935, Sumner Simpson, president of Raybestos-Manhattan, wrote an internal memo to company leadership instructing that asbestos health hazards should be downplayed: "The less said about asbestos the better."[9] These documents, initially concealed and discovered through litigation in 1977, revealed that Raybestos and its industry peers possessed knowledge of health risks as early as the 1930s yet deliberately withheld this information from workers, regulators, and the public. The Simpson Papers later became central evidence in hundreds of asbestos personal injury lawsuits, demonstrating that corporate knowledge and culpability significantly antedated regulatory action by four decades.

Industrial Revolution Timeline Event Historical Significance
1906 Raybestos founded in Bridgeport, Connecticut Beginning of American asbestos brake/friction industry
1919 Raybestos establishes Stratford, Connecticut facility 75 East Main Street; 70 years of asbestos manufacturing
1929 Raybestos-Manhattan Corporation formed (merger) Industry consolidation; 40% of American asbestos market
1930 Merewether & Price Report (UK) First comprehensive occupational study; documents asbestosis in 80% of workers[8]
March 1, 1932 British Asbestos Industry Regulations take effect First national workplace asbestos standards (UK only)
October 1, 1935 Sumner Simpson Papers: "the less said the better" Evidence of corporate knowledge suppression[9]
"The Simpson Papers demonstrate premeditated concealment. In 1935, Raybestos possessed the same knowledge that would take the scientific establishment another 25 years to establish. The instruction to say nothing was not a response to scientific uncertainty—it was a response to corporate risk assessment. Knowledge suppression persisted through WWII, through the 1950s, and into the 1960s, costing workers decades of unprotected exposure."
— Anna Jackson, Litigation Counsel, Danziger & De Llano

The Selikoff Era: 1960 – 1979

When did scientific consensus on asbestos dangers emerge, and how did regulatory systems respond?

The decade from 1960 to 1970 witnessed the transformation of asbestos from an industry-protected secret to a scientific imperative. The 1960 publication by Dr. J.C. Wagner and colleagues describing 33 cases of diffuse pleural mesothelioma in South African crocidolite miners became the foundation for all subsequent mesothelioma epidemiology.[12] Wagner's study, published in the British Journal of Industrial Medicine, established that crocidolite asbestos caused mesothelioma and crucially documented cases in housewives with no direct occupational exposure—proving that secondary/take-home exposure presented genuine risk. Peer reviewers initially rejected the paper on the grounds that "eminent London pathologists stated that mesotheliomas did not exist," yet Prof. Jethro Gough at Cardiff persuaded the journal to publish. The paper has since accumulated over 240 citations, making it one of the most influential occupational epidemiology publications.

Dr. Richard Doll's 1955 cohort study of British asbestos workers, published in the British Journal of Industrial Medicine, documented a 14-fold increase in lung cancer risk among asbestos workers, establishing causation before mesothelioma became the focal disease.[11] Doll and his colleague Peto updated the Rochdale cohort repeatedly, finding excess lung cancers even in workers exposed after 1933 (when British regulations took effect), demonstrating that regulation intensity alone could not eliminate occupational risk when exposure remained occupational.

The 1964 Conference on Biological Effects of Asbestos, organized by Dr. Irving J. Selikoff at the New York Academy of Sciences, brought together the international scientific consensus. Selikoff's own prospective cohort studies of International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers (IAHFIAW) members documented that among 1,522 members as of 1943, 542 had died by 1989—with approximately half occurring before age 65 and a high proportion from asbestos-associated diseases despite radiological absence of lung fibrosis in many cases.[13] Industry mounted aggressive public relations campaigns to undermine Selikoff's credibility, deploying ad hominem attacks on the epidemiologist in medical journals and professional forums.

The regulatory response followed in the early 1970s. OSHA was established in 1970, with initial federal workplace asbestos guidelines taking effect in 1971 at a permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 5 fibers per cubic centimeter. In December 1972, the permanent OSHA standard lowered the PEL to 2 fibers/cc.[14] The EPA identified asbestos as a hazardous air pollutant on March 31, 1971, under Clean Air Act Section 112, and issued the Asbestos National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) on April 6, 1973, eliminating spray-applied asbestos fireproofing in buildings.[15]

The Borel v. Fibreboard Products Corp. decision in 1973 established strict liability for asbestos manufacturers. Plaintiff Clarence Borel, an industrial insulation worker, sued multiple manufacturers for respiratory disease and asbestosis. The jury found that the manufacturers' products were "unreasonably dangerous" because no warnings were provided to workers despite knowledge of hazards; manufacturers had never tested their products' effects on insulators or checked if exposure exceeded threshold limits.[16] The verdict of $79,436.24 in favor of Borel, upheld on appeal by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, established a precedent that would generate thousands of subsequent lawsuits and eventual bankruptcy filings.

Selikoff Era Timeline Event Historical Significance
1955 Dr. Richard Doll: 14-fold increased lung cancer risk First rigorous epidemiological proof of asbestos-lung cancer link[11]
1960 Dr. J.C. Wagner: Diffuse pleural mesothelioma in crocidolite miners 33 cases; 240+ subsequent citations; establishes causal link[12]
1963 Dr. Irving J. Selikoff publishes in JAMA National media attention to asbestos dangers
1964 Selikoff Conference (New York Academy of Sciences) International scientific consensus on asbestos carcinogenicity[13]
1970 Occupational Safety and Health Act signed (Congress) Created OSHA; Clean Air Act passed same year
1970 OSHA establishes first federal asbestos guidelines PEL 5 f/cc; take effect 1971
March 31, 1971 EPA identifies asbestos as hazardous air pollutant Under Clean Air Act Section 112[15]
April 6, 1973 EPA promulgates Asbestos NESHAP Bans spray-applied asbestos fireproofing
December 1972 OSHA sets permanent PEL at 2 f/cc First substantial reduction from initial 5 f/cc
1973 Borel v. Fibreboard Products Corp. (Fifth Circuit) Establishes strict liability; $79,436 verdict upheld[16]
1976 OSHA further lowers PEL to 2 f/cc Incremental tightening of occupational standard
1972 Consumer Product Safety Act bans asbestos in wall patching First product-specific ban
"Wagner, Doll, and Selikoff built scientific consensus on a foundation of raw occupational data. They did not imagine the mechanisms of mesothelioma or construct elaborate theories—they simply documented what happened to workers. The regulatory system responded, but slowly. Even after 1970, manufacturers had a decade to wind down operations; instead, they accelerated production in developing nations and fought legal liability at every step."
— David Foster, Expert Witness Coordinator, Danziger & De Llano

Corporate Collapse and Litigation: 1980 – 2000

How did asbestos litigation reshape corporate America and create compensation systems?

The 1980s and 1990s witnessed unprecedented corporate consolidation of asbestos liabilities through bankruptcy reorganization. Johns-Manville Corporation, a diversified manufacturer with $1.2 billion in net shareholder equity, filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on August 26, 1982.[17] The filing was historic not because the company was unable to meet current debts, but because it anticipated massive future asbestos personal injury liability—approximately 16,500 pending claims at the time of filing. The Johns-Manville bankruptcy established the precedent that corporations could use Chapter 11 reorganization to consolidate and limit asbestos-related claims through a centralized trust fund mechanism.

The Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust was established on December 18, 1986, following an Insurance Settlement Order from the bankruptcy court. The trust received initial funding of $2.5 billion and established scheduled values for disease categories: mesothelioma ($350,000), severe asbestosis ($95,000), and other asbestos-related diseases on a graduated scale.[26] By 2026, the trust maintained a payment percentage of approximately 5.1%, meaning a mesothelioma claimant would receive roughly $17,500 (0.051 × $350,000) as their settlement—a pittance relative to the disease's severity and the corporation's prior knowledge of hazards.

The EPA's attempt to ban asbestos in 1989 was overturned in 1991. On July 12, 1989, the EPA issued a final rule under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) prohibiting the manufacture and sale of almost all asbestos products, citing established carcinogenicity and the availability of substitutes.[18] However, in Corrosion Proof Fittings v. EPA (Fifth Circuit, November 15, 1991), the court vacated the ban, finding that the EPA had failed to adequately consider less burdensome alternatives to an outright prohibition under TSCA Section 6.[18] The decision created a 33-year regulatory gap during which asbestos remained legal in the United States despite a ban being technically finalized and multiple countries moving toward comprehensive prohibitions.

Raybestos-Manhattan, operating the Stratford, Connecticut facility since 1919, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1989. The company had previously reorganized in 1982, merging with Hi-Shear Industries to form Raymark Corporation in an explicit attempt to distance itself from the negative asbestos brand identity. Despite this corporate restructuring, plaintiffs' attorneys successfully pierced the corporate veil in subsequent litigation. Raymark's operations ceased at the Stratford facility in 1989; the site was later capped and redeveloped as Stratford Crossing Shopping Center. The Environmental Protection Agency declared the site a National Priorities List Superfund site in 1995, with cleanup ongoing as of 2026 under nine operable units and $113 million in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding.

The major asbestos bankruptcy trusts established during this period collectively hold over $30 billion in assets, with more than 60 trusts currently active. The Pittsburgh Corning (PCC) trust maintains the highest payment percentage at 24.5%, while smaller trusts operate at single-digit percentages. Average claimants file claims with 5 or more separate trusts to aggregate compensation, yet total recoveries remain substantially below actual medical care costs and loss of life expectancy for mesothelioma patients.

W.R. Grace and Company's Libby, Montana vermiculite mining operation represents perhaps the most devastating occupational and environmental asbestos contamination outside of dedicated asbestos mining. The operation extracted vermiculite from 1963 to 1990, but the ore contained significant tremolite asbestos contamination. An estimated 200+ residents of Libby died from asbestos-related diseases, representing a death rate per capita far exceeding even heavily exposed occupational cohorts. Despite comprehensive evidence of knowledge and negligence, a federal jury in U.S. District Court (Missoula, Montana) acquitted W.R. Grace and three former executives on all criminal charges in May 2009, with the judge criticizing the government's "inexcusable dereliction of duty" in failing to provide exculpatory materials to the defense.

Corporate Collapse Timeline Event Historical Significance
August 26, 1982 Johns-Manville files Chapter 11 $1.2 billion company; 16,500 pending claims; establishes trust fund precedent[17]
December 18, 1986 Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust established $2.5 billion initial funding; mesothelioma scheduled value $350,000[26]
July 12, 1989 EPA final rule bans most asbestos products Under Toxic Substances Control Act
1989 Raymark Industries files Chapter 11 (Connecticut) Stratford facility operations cease after 70 years
November 15, 1991 Corrosion Proof Fittings v. EPA (Fifth Circuit) Vacates EPA ban; creates 33-year regulatory gap[18]
1995 Raymark Industries site added to NPL (Superfund) $113 million cleanup funding (2022–2026)
May 8, 2009 W.R. Grace acquitted in Libby criminal trial Jury acquittal despite ~200 deaths; judge criticized prosecution

Modern Regulation: 2000 – 2026

Congressional efforts to pass a comprehensive asbestos ban have been remarkably persistent yet unsuccessful. The Ban Asbestos in America Act (Murray Bill), sponsored by Senator Patty Murray (D-Washington), was introduced multiple times beginning in 2002 and passed the Senate in 2007 but stalled in the House. The Bruce Vento Ban Asbestos and Prevent Mesothelioma Act, named after Representative Bruce Vento (D-Minnesota) who died of pleural mesothelioma in 2000, failed to gain sufficient bipartisan support. The Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now (ARBAN) Act, named after a mesothelioma victim and veteran, has been introduced eight times since 2016, most recently in 2023 with sponsorship by Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-Oregon) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), yet has never advanced beyond committee. As of February 2026, no comprehensive federal asbestos ban has passed the U.S. Congress, despite Iceland banning asbestos as early as 1983 and 72 countries establishing comprehensive prohibitions by September 2025.

The EPA's regulatory pathway under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) proved more successful than Congressional action. After the 2016 Lautenberg Amendment expanded the EPA's authority to regulate chemicals, the agency included asbestos in the first round of 10 chemicals for comprehensive risk evaluation. In 2019, the EPA issued a Significant New Use Rule (SNUR) requiring federal review of certain asbestos uses previously discontinued. The EPA's Risk Evaluation, completed in 2020, concluded that chrysotile asbestos—the only form currently imported and used in the United States—presents "unreasonable risks" to human health and the environment.

The EPA's final rule on chrysotile asbestos, announced on March 18, 2024 and published in the Federal Register on March 28, 2024, became effective May 28, 2024. The ban applies to all ongoing uses of chrysotile, with a staggered phase-out schedule: imports in the chlor-alkali industry (primary industrial use) were banned immediately; sheet gaskets receive a two-year phase-out; automotive brakes and oilfield brake blocks have six months to two years; chemical manufacturing facilities (the remaining major use) have a 5–12 year phase-out period. On January 13, 2026, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce petitioned the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn the chrysotile ban, arguing that the EPA overstepped its statutory authority and failed to adequately consider regulatory burden.

U.S. mesothelioma mortality has declined in absolute terms from peak years in the early 2010s, yet remains substantial. In 2022, the CDC reported 2,236 mesothelioma deaths; over 2,100 deaths occurred in 2023. The age-adjusted death rate is approximately 1 per 100,000 population. The decline reflects reduced asbestos exposure in recent decades due to OSHA regulations and product bans, yet does not reflect a complete cessation of risk—workers in construction, maintenance, automotive repair, and legacy contamination sites remain at elevated risk.

Globally, asbestos remains a major public health concern. Russia remains the world's largest asbestos producer, accounting for approximately 60% of global supply, followed by Kazakhstan and China. Approximately 2 million metric tons of asbestos are produced annually worldwide. Asia and the Middle East consumed 1.31 million metric tons in 2023. Developing nations continue to use asbestos in construction materials, brake linings, and insulation products at rates that would be prohibited in high-income countries. The disparity in regulatory stringency between nations has created what occupational health researchers term "global asbestos inequity"—where corporations redirect production of asbestos-containing products to jurisdictions with weaker regulatory oversight.

Modern Era Timeline Event Historical Significance
1983 Iceland bans most forms of asbestos First national ban globally
2002–2007 Ban Asbestos in America Act (Murray Bill) Passed Senate 2007; stalled in House
2007 Bruce Vento Ban Asbestos Act (H.R. 2866) Named after congressman who died of mesothelioma; failed
2016 Lautenberg Amendment to TSCA Expands EPA authority to regulate chemicals
2016–present Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now (ARBAN) Act Introduced 8 times; never passed
2017 EPA includes asbestos in first round of TSCA risk evaluations 10 chemicals total; asbestos priority
2019 EPA issues Significant New Use Rule (SNUR) Requires federal review of discontinued uses
2020 EPA Risk Evaluation: chrysotile presents "unreasonable risks" Completes TSCA assessment
March 18, 2024 EPA announces final rule banning chrysotile asbestos First comprehensive federal prohibition since 1989 attempt[1]
March 28, 2024 EPA chrysotile ban published in Federal Register Becomes law
May 28, 2024 EPA ban becomes effective Chlor-alkali imports banned immediately; other uses phased (6 months–12 years)[1]
September 2025 72 countries with national asbestos bans Global regulatory convergence except Russia, Kazakhstan, China
January 13, 2026 U.S. Chamber of Commerce petitions Fifth Circuit to overturn ban Legal challenge pending
"Congress has debated an asbestos ban since 2002—a quarter century of legislative effort without passage. Meanwhile, the EPA navigated regulatory channels and achieved prohibition of chrysotile on March 18, 2024. The institutional path of least resistance proved to be administrative action, not legislative will. Yet the Fifth Circuit's 1991 Corrosion Proof Fittings decision looms over every EPA regulation, and industry litigation persists. The battle is not finished."
— Yvette Abrego, Regulatory Affairs, Danziger & De Llano

See Also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 EPA Announces Chrysotile Asbestos Ban - March 18, 2024
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Summary of Countries that Have Banned Asbestos - ADDRI, September 2025
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Asbestos Exposure - Danziger & De Llano
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Pliny Documentation of Asbestos-Related Disease - Danziger & De Llano Research
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Karystos Quarries and Ancient Asbestos Use - Mesothelioma.net
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Industrial Asbestos Patents 1828 - Mesothelioma Lawyer Center
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Raybestos Company Founded 1906 - Asbestos.com
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Merewether & Price Report 1930 - Mesothelioma Lawyer Center
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Simpson Papers, October 1, 1935: Sumner Simpson to company officials on asbestos hazard concealment
  10. ↑ WWII Shipyard Asbestos Exposure - Asbestos.com
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Asbestos Cancer | Mesothelioma Lawyer Center
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Wagner JC et al. (1960) Diffuse pleural mesothelioma and asbestos exposure - British Journal of Industrial Medicine 17(4):260-271
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Selikoff IJ (1964) Biological effects of asbestos - New York Academy of Sciences Conference
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Occupational Safety and Health Administration Asbestos Standards Evolution
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 EPA Asbestos as Hazardous Air Pollutant - 1971
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Mesothelioma Symptoms, Causes & Legal Options | Danziger & De Llano
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Mesothelioma & Asbestos Trust Fund Payouts | Mesothelioma Lawyer Center
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Corrosion Proof Fittings v. EPA (Fifth Circuit, 1991)
  19. ↑ Raymark Industries Bankruptcy 1989
  20. ↑ Congressional Asbestos Ban Attempts 2002-2025
  21. ↑ The Erechtheion and Ancient Asbestos - Mesothelioma.net
  22. ↑ Asbestos History | Mesothelioma.net
  23. ↑ Benjamin Franklin and Early American Asbestos Use - Danziger & De Llano
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Lucy Deane's 1898 Occupational Study - Mesothelioma.net
  25. ↑ Raymark/Raybestos-Manhattan Industries | Mesothelioma.net
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Johns-Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust - Mesothelioma Lawyer Center

Categories


Statute of Limitations Warning: Filing deadlines vary by state from 1-6 years from diagnosis. Texas allows 2 years from diagnosis or discovery. Contact an attorney immediately to preserve your rights.


Free, Confidential Case Evaluation

Call (866) 222-9990 or visit dandell.com/contact-us

No upfront fees • Experienced representation • National practice

Retrieved from "https://wikimesothelioma.com/index.php?title=Asbestos_History_Timeline&oldid=1082"