Asbestos in North America: From Industrial Demand to Health Crisis
The Ascent of Asbestos in North America In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, North America became a central figure in the global asbestos industry. Canada, with its vast chrysotile asbestos deposits discovered in Quebec in 1877, quickly ascended as one of the world’s leading asbestos miners. By the 1880s, these mines propelled Canada to produce half of the global asbestos supply, marking the beginning of a booming industry that would peak in the mid-20th century.