Bad Dust: A History of the Asbestos Disaster by Tom White ISBN 978191567294 instant download

Bad Dust: A History of the Asbestos Disaster by Tom White ISBN 978191567294 instant download

Though it was banned in the UK in 1999, asbestos still kills more than 5,000 people every year. How did this happen? And what can we do about it?
Asbestos was once known as the “magic mineral.” Cheap, versatile, and tough, it was used in a wide range of industrial and consumer products, from fireproofing spray on warships, to insulation panels in high-rise towers, to tablecloths and ironing board covers. But from the dawn of the industry in the late 1800s, it was apparent that asbestos dust was particularly harmful to workers’ lungs. Later, it became clear that even trivial exposure can cause incurable cancers.
Bad Dust traces a history of the asbestos disaster and shows how the material became so deeply interwoven with the functions of the British state. The first half of the book examines the mining of the mineral in apartheid South Africa, its manufacturing in the North of England, and its use on the shipyards and building sites of...