History of Blacksmiths' Exposure to Asbestos

Since the times of the ancient Greeks, blacksmiths have used blacksmith gloves containing asbestos, and have also been exposed to asbestos in other equipment. Although the dangers of asbestos-containing items have been known since ancient times, it is only recently that this has really become a concern for many people, because of which the use of asbestos-containing products is being phased out and banned.

A blacksmith is a person who uses a blacksmith’s forge and other tools to cut, bend, hammer, and shape iron and steel into useful items. Particularly in the past, some blacksmiths used to specialize in horses and making horse shoes, and were known as farriers. In order to shape the metals, blacksmiths needed to heat them to very high temperatures so that they become soft and malleable.

Asbestos in the Blacksmith’s Workshop

Since blacksmiths work with such extreme heat, insulating materials were very important. From the times of the ancient Greeks, asbestos-containing blacksmith’s gloves were used to protect the blacksmith. Asbestos could also be used to insulate the blacksmith’s forge.

The Dangers of Asbestos and Mesothelioma

Although asbestos may have helped to insulate the blacksmith against the extremely high temperatures he was working with, it also had harmful effects. Once asbestos dust from either the gloves or from the insulation around the forge became disrupted and the fibers were released into the atmosphere, these could be inhaled leading to a greater risk of Mesothelioma.

Since ancient times, blacksmiths have been involved with creating useful items from iron and steel using a forge and other blacksmith’s tools. Unfortunately, some of these tools, such as the insulation around the forge and the blacksmith’s gloves, contained asbestos. When the asbestos fibers from these materials were released into the atmosphere, the blacksmith could inhale them and his risk of contracting Mesothelioma would increase substantially.