The presence of asbestos has been known for centuries, dating back to Ancient Greece, when it was used in cloths and by Romans, who used asbestos in their building materials. Asbestos use did not reach North America until the late 1800s when Canada began to mine it commercially. Shortly thereafter in the early 1900s, asbestos became popular in the United States and usage reached its peak during World War II.
The first case of asbestosis was diagnosed in London in 1924, and documentation proves that as early as the 1930s, asbestos manufacturers knew the health risks surrounding their product, but chose to conceal the information from the public.
The U.S. government waited until the 1970s to take action and in 1989, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) banned all new uses of asbestos, but previous uses established prior to 1989 were still allowed.
Regulations by the EPA and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) have significantly reduced the amount of asbestos use in the U.S. from 719,000 metric tons in 1973 to about 9,000 metric tons in 2002. Over the years, restrictions have become tight, from 12 fibers per cubic centimeter (f/cc) in 1971 to 0.1 (f/cc) as the permissible exposure limit (PEL) currently in regulation.