Historic Chemical Substitutions, Part 1: Asbestos

It seems like every day there are more headlines about PFAS, a.k.a “Forever Chemicals”, each one identifying more health risks, more places they've been detected, more bans and more regulations. From the beginning, Actalent has been following PFAS bans and substitution programs closely in our Q&A series, Forever ... For Now. As a society, it’s clear we know and accept that the health risks associated with PFAS greatly outweigh the benefits.

Now comes the process of replacing them.

The prevalence of “forever chemicals” and our reliance on them — they’ve proven extremely useful and effective in everything from long-lasting cosmetics to heat-resistant firefighting foam — will make the transformation anything but simple.

In fact, the process will require major adjustments, both in how we make and use a multitude of affected products.

The good news is we’ve done this before.

In this series, Historic Chemical Substitutions, we’re examining some of the most successful chemical substitution campaigns in history.

Hopefully these examples will serve as reminders that we’ve adjusted, innovated and overcome challenges like PFAS before. And in making these changes, we’ve often achieved better outcomes for the greater good — outcomes that may not have been endeavored otherwise.

In Part I, we’ll cover asbestos, one of the oldest and most widely used hazardous material in history.

Asbestos: Organic, Exceptional and Deadly

Nearly every house, school and office building constructed in Europe before 1985 contained asbestos. Unless they’ve been repaired, renovated or remodeled, many of them still may.

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a naturally occurring, non-flammable mineral. It’s been used for thousands of years to insulate materials and make them fire-resistant.

Chrysotile, one of the major forms of asbestos, is fibrous. A versatile substance, it could be spun into thread and made into a fabric, much like cotton or wool, or it could be used in board-like forms and coatings. Those characteristics, along with the relatively low cost and abundance of asbestos, made it very easy to integrate into consumer applications (i.e., oven mitts, curtains) and commercial/industrial applications (i.e., pipe coverings, floor and ceiling tiles, welder’s blankets, fire blankets).

Asbestos Exposure and Manufacturing

Manufacturing of asbestos-based products began in the 19th century. Their prevalence peaked between the 1940s and 1970s, having been used mostly in residential and commercial construction during that period.

By the 1970s, however, it was proven and widely accepted that exposure to asbestos fibers was directly causing two deadly lung diseases: mesothelioma (an aggressive cancer) and asbestosis.

Since that discovery, the production and use of asbestos has been broadly restricted in Europe and completely banned in many countries throughout the world. In Europe, asbestos is prohibited in new construction and any asbestos found during repairs or remodeling must be removed under strict abatement protocols.

Effective Asbestos Replacements

Today, we use safer, effective replacements: thermoset plastics, polyurethane foam, fiberglass, and cellulose fiber (recycled material). And even among these materials there continues to be progress, if not perfection, in limiting their health and environmental impacts.

Asbestos, like PFAS, is an example of a highly effective material that was widely used (in the case of asbestos, for centuries), until it was discovered to cause serious health problems. Although asbestos became very difficult to eradicate, successfully stopping it from accumulating further in our homes, schools, offices and environment has been an incredibly important, positive step in the right direction.