The Real Story of Asbestos
It seemed like a miracle stone, and eventually, the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians all started using it, too. Hosted by: Hank Green ---------- Dooblydoo ...
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More than 4,500 years ago, Finnish pottery makers discovered a stone made of thin fibers that mixed really well with the clay they used to make pots. This stone was so strong, and yet flexible, that they could use it to make their pots thinner and bigger than ever. Plus, it was surprisingly resistant to heat, so the pots could hold things like hot metal. It seemed like a miracle stone, and eventually, the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians all started using it, too. That rock was what we now call asbestos, and eventually, we found out that it was too good to be true and stopped using it as much. But that took a while. The word asbestos actually refers to six different minerals that all have the same habit, or way that their crystals grow. They’re called asbestiform, which just m...
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More than 4,500 years ago, Finnish pottery makers discovered a stone made of thin fibers that mixed really well with the clay they used to make pots. This stone was so strong, and yet flexible, that they could use it to make their pots thinner and bigger than ever. Plus, it was surprisingly resistant to heat, so the pots could hold things like hot metal. It seemed like a miracle stone, and eventually, the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians all started using it, too. That rock was what we now call asbestos, and eventually, we found out that it was too good to be true and stopped using it as much. But that took a while. The word asbestos actually refers to six different minerals that all have the same habit, or way that their crystals grow. They’re called asbestiform, which just m...
