History of Asbestos

History of asbestos discovery and use andasbestos-relateddisease
in context with the occurrence of asbestos within ophiolite complexes

Two ancient asbestos mines, one near Karystos, Greece, and the other
southeast of Mount Troodos, Cyprus, were located in what we now know
to be ophiolite terrane. Evidence suggests that asbestos was discovered
and utilized in Cyprus, perhaps as long as 5,000 years ago, for manufacture
of cremation cloths, lamp wicks, hats, and shoes. Some of the adverse health
effects of asbestos became known only in the early twentieth century, but it was
not until the 1960s that the asbestos-related diseases-asbestosis, lung cancer,
and mesothelioma-were fully understood.

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Asbestos Mine in Cyprus