Asbestos Siding History

A brief history of asbestos cement siding.

Asbestos siding history.

Asbestos cement roofi ng and siding in the early 1900s manufacturers reinforced portland cement with asbestos fibers to create a fire resistant and durable building material. The portland cement binds asbestos fibers into a hard mass. The issue here is asbestos and the risks of serious lung diseases it can cause. Ludwig purchased a factory for asbestos goods in upper austria in 1893.

Asbestos in the ancient world asbestos occurs naturally on every continent in the world. Asbestos shingle history begins with inventor and entrepreneur ludwig hatschek who was born in the czech republic on october 9 1856. Repainting or removal poses health risks you need to know about. Cementious siding and roofing such as fiber cement siding lap siding and fiber cement roof shingles containing asbestos may then have appeared on homes constructed between 1906 and 1980 in north america and contining later in some other countries.

Asbestos siding was very commonly used in buildings and homes from around the 1920s until the 1980s and can still be found in many older homes in the u s. Archeologists uncovered asbestos fibers in debris dating back to the stone age some 750 000 years ago. The siding was made by combining cement with asbestos which is a naturally occurring mineral that is fibrous in nature and fireproof. The use of asbestos siding shingles was a popular one that was used in the us from the early part of the 20th century until the 1970s.

Cementious siding and roofing such as fiber cement siding lap siding and fiber cement roof shingles containing asbestos may then have appeared on homes constructed between 1906 and 1980 in north america and continuing later in some other countries. In 1900 he succeeded in the invention and factory productions of asbestos cement. It is believed that as early as 4000 b c asbestos long hair like fibers were used for wicks in lamps and candles. Asbestos cement was first developed in 1905 by the johns manville company who became one of the premier manufacturers of cement asbestos materials.

The product first made in 1905 served as a coating for boilers steam pipes and equipment that generated heat. In 1901 he patented his fiber cement invention and named it eternit based upon the latin term aetemitas meaning everlasting. Asbestos cement is a mixture of portland cement reinforced with asbestos fibers. Asbestos siding was made by adding asbestos a naturally occurring mineral to portland cement.

These asbestos shingles were popular until the 1960s and they do last a long time. And make no mistake asbestos is dangerous. Asbestos discovery the use of asbestos dates back at least 4 500 years.