<P> Asbestos mining existed more than 4,000 years ago , but large - scale mining began at the end of the 19th century , when manufacturers and builders began using asbestos for its desirable physical properties . Some of those properties are sound absorption , average tensile strength , affordability , and resistance to fire , heat , and electricity . It was used in such applications as electrical insulation for hotplate wiring and in building insulation . When asbestos is used for its resistance to fire or heat , the fibers are often mixed with cement or woven into fabric or mats . These desirable properties made asbestos very widely used . Asbestos use continued to grow through most of the 20th century until public knowledge ( acting through courts and legislatures ) of the health hazards of asbestos dust outlawed asbestos in mainstream construction and fireproofing in most countries . </P>
<P> Asbestos mining existed more than 4,000 years ago , but large - scale mining began at the end of the 19th century , when manufacturers and builders began using asbestos for its desirable physical properties . Some of those properties are sound absorption , average tensile strength , affordability , and resistance to fire , heat , and electricity . It was used in such applications as electrical insulation for hotplate wiring and in building insulation . When asbestos is used for its resistance to fire or heat , the fibers are often mixed with cement or woven into fabric or mats . These desirable properties made asbestos very widely used . Asbestos use continued to grow through most of the 20th century until public knowledge ( acting through courts and legislatures ) of the health hazards of asbestos dust outlawed asbestos in mainstream construction and fireproofing in most countries . </P>
when was asbestos used as a building material
when was asbestos used as a building material
the end of the 19th century
the end of the 19th century