Asbestos WAS used for heat insulation the engine rooms of ships and in heating plants on land. It was used as a fibrous reinforcing material in plaster and other materials that otherwise might be crumbly, such as ceiling tiles. It was used in applications where resistance to wear as well as temperature was valuable, as in break shoes. It was used as fire proof material, as in fire curtains, fire blankets, gloves, and woven electrical insulation.
The difference between the two is that an asbestos gasket uses asbestos as a reinforcing fiber while a non-asbestos gasket does not.
Asbestos is not banned, but its uses are limited. If you used asbestos in the 1960s then you used the thing that is still called asbestos.
Asbestos is not used in today's modern technologies. Currently, most of the Western and Developed world have banned all uses of Asbestos.
Some countries have made some uses of asbestos illegal, and some have made all uses of asbestos illegal. Each country did that at a different time. Selling asbestos is illegal in Canada and France. Strict occupational health and safety rules limit workers' exposure to the mineral. However the Canadian Government sees nothing wrong in continuing to produce asbestos and exporting the fibre. Most of its exports go to developing countries.
The signs and symptoms of asbestos-related lung diseases vary. They depend on which disease you have and how much it has damaged your lungs. Signs and symptoms may not appear for 10 to 14 or more years after exposure to asbestos.
In 1985 the last uses of asbestos were finally banned, however, most applications of it stopped in 1970.
It is probably not a good idea to install new asbestos pipe. Asbestos pipe requires remediation if and when it deteriorates to that it may be releasing asbestos fibers. Whether it is legal to install asbestos pipe depends one what legal jurisdiction you are in. Some countries have forbidden all use of asbestos containing products and some permit some uses to continue.
Although some uses of asbestos are not permitted in the United States, asbestos has never been "outlawed" in the US. Since asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that can be found in rock outcroppings in several National Parks, among other places, trying to outlaw it would be about as futile as trying to outlaw dandelions
Asbestos use in the United Kingdom and EU are now banned , it can no longer be used, sold, imported or exported, you can't even give it away. In the US asbestos is not banned, but its uses are limited and new construction materials should not contain asbestos as an intentionally added ingredient.
Asbestos has been used for thousands of years, with evidence of its use dating back to ancient civilizations such as the Greeks and Romans. However, industrial-scale mining and use of asbestos began in the late 19th century during the Industrial Revolution.
asbestos
asbestos