Asbestos or asbestus is a group of naturally occurring, fibrous silicate minerals that have been used for thousands of years to create flexible fire-resistant objects, such as fireproof fabrics. It is
Industrial scale asbestos mining began in 1878 in Thetford township, Quebec. By 1895, mining was increasingly mechanized.
Canada's biggest power shovel loading an ore train with asbestos at the Jeffrey Mine, Johns-Manville Co., Asbestos, Quebec, June 1944