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Product details
- ISBN 9781915672926
- Dimensions: 130 x 197mm
- Publication Date: 09 Sep 2025
- Publisher: Watkins Media Limited
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Paperback
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Asbestos was once known as the “magic mineral.” Cheap,
versatile, and tough, it was used in a wide range of industrial and consumer
products, from fireproofing spray on warships, to insulation panels in
high-rise towers, to tablecloths and ironing board covers. But from the dawn of
the industry in the late 1800s, it was apparent that asbestos dust was
particularly harmful to workers’ lungs. Later, it became clear that even
trivial exposure can cause incurable cancers.
Bad Dust traces a history of the asbestos disaster
and shows how the material became so deeply interwoven with the functions of
the British state. The first half of the book examines the mining of the
mineral 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 of
the book then explores the development of a coherent anti-asbestos movement from
the late 1970s. Arrayed against a powerful industry, and against parts of the
trade 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 the
material twenty-five years ago was not accompanied by a coordinated removal programme—much
of it remains in place, slowing degrading and placing us all at risk. Far from
a problem solved, Bad Dust shows that the asbestos disaster has really only
just begun.
Tom White is a writer and further educationworker. He writes about politics, art, education, and rugby league.
