Burn Baby Burn

I didn't realize that asbestos was a natural substance found large deposits on every continent,I guess I assumed since it is bad news that it was man made,it also dates back to the stone age and has been used in a variety of applications through the years. The Egyptians used it for burial shrouds to prevent deterioration,in Finland the fibers were used to make fire resistant pottery. One of uses I found most interesting was the material being used as napkins and table clothes,not only to prevent fires at the table,but also for the ease of cleaning,when they were finished with their meal they tossed the table cloth and napkins into the fire and when they removed them they were cleaner and whiter than when they went into the fire. Even with the many uses of asbestos the side effects did not go unnoticed, a "sickness of the lungs" and "slave disease" were noted in people that mined and worked with the fibers. By 2003 17 countries had full or partial bans on the use of asbestos,in 2005 asbestos was banned throughout the European Union,however as of April 2015, though usage has declined, there is no ban in place in the US. Not exactly a warm and fuzzy feeling.