Just in time for the holidays, a little reminder about how casually asbestos was used in the past. Asbestos was marketed as fake snow and used to decorate trees and holiday scenes. It was also used in movies (most famously the Wizard of Oz) for costumes, props and snow scenes. Can you imagine wearing an outfit made entirely of asbestos or sprinkling it around your home during the holidays?! Today that seems crazy, but back in the 1930’s people wouldn’t thought twice about it. Its amazing how things change as we increase our knowledge base, and also pretty scary given what we know about asbestos now. Check out the links below to learn more about asbestos being used as a decoration and in movies.
https://www.snopes.com/was-fake-snow-made-from-asbestos-marketed-as-christmas-decor/
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-slow-demise-of-asbestos-the-carcinogen-that-gave-the-wizard-of-oz-snow
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/crazy-tricks-early-filmmakers-used-fake-snow-180961522/
Happy Holidays from David Karchner & Associates!!
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