Asbestos was once known as the “magic mineral.” Cheap,versatile, and tough, it was used in a wide range of industrial and consumerproducts, from fireproofing spray on warships, to insulation panels inhigh-rise towers, to tablecloths and ironing board covers. But from the dawn ofthe industry in the late 1800s, it was apparent that asbestos dust wasparticularly harmful to workers’ lungs. Later, it became clear that eventrivial exposure can cause incurable cancers. Bad Dust traces a history of the asbestos disasterand shows how the material became so deeply interwoven with the functions ofthe British state. The first half of the book examines the mining of themineral in apartheid South Africa, its manufacturing in the North of England,and its use on the shipyards and building sites of Glasgow. The second half ofthe book then explores the development of a coherent anti-asbestos movement fromthe late 1970s. Arrayed against a powerful industry, and against parts of thetrade union movement, anti-asbestos groups fought for a ban on the material.Asbestos was used extensively in schools,hospitals, and housing built in the post-war period. The banning of thematerial twenty-five years ago was not accompanied by a coordinated removal programme—muchof it remains in place, slowing degrading and placing us all at risk. Far froma problem solved, Bad Dust shows that the asbestos disaster has really onlyjust begun.
