Asbestos is a material that was once used in virtually every building constructed for governmental, commercial or residential use in many countries prior to being phased out in the 1970s and 1980s. It had applications in everything from protecting electrical wiring to providing home insulation, too. Once seen as a miracle product, it later came to be understood that microscopic asbestos fibers could go airborne, get lodged in people's lungs and cause a range of breathing disorders and cancers.
