Short answers, pulled from the story.
Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring, fibrous silicate minerals that ancient peoples used to create fire-resistant cloth and strengthen earthenware pots. Inhabitants of the Lake Juojärvi region in East Finland used asbestos to make pottery as far back as 4,500 years ago, and ancient cultures used the material to create shrouds for burning the bodies of kings.
The first documented death related to asbestos occurred in 1906, but the first diagnosis of asbestosis was made in the UK in 1924 following the death of Nellie Kershaw. Pathologist William Edmund Cooke testified that her lungs contained visible particles of mineral matter that originated from asbestos and were the primary cause of her death.
Sixty-six countries and territories, including all those in the European Union, have banned the use of asbestos, yet the United States remained one of the few developed countries to not completely ban asbestos until 2024. The US Environmental Protection Agency announced the Part 1 Chrysotile Asbestos rule banning chrysotile in six conditions of use by 2037.
Six mineral types are defined by the EPA as asbestos, including those belonging to the serpentine class and those belonging to the amphibole class, and all six are known to be human carcinogens. Chrysotile is the only asbestos serpentine fiber and accounts for about 95% of the asbestos found in buildings in America.
Around 255,000 people are thought to die each year from diseases related to asbestos exposure, and the most common diseases are asbestosis and mesothelioma. Asbestosis is the scarring of the lungs due to asbestos inhalation, and mesothelioma is an aggressive form of cancer that often leads to a life expectancy of less than 12 months after diagnosis.