2018-05-21

[public] 1.26M views, 65.0K likes, 406 dislikes audio only

Tom Scott

In Quebec, Canada, there's a town called Asbestos. It's an alarming name, one that conjures up images of lung disease and mesothelioma. So why haven't they changed it? [Update, October 2020: they've changed it! It's now Val-Des-Sources. https://www.npr.org/2020/10/20/925820680/the-town-of-asbestos-quebec-chooses-a-new-less-hazardous-name ]

Dr Jessica van Horssen's book, "A Town Called Asbestos", was invaluable for my research. Its ISBN is 9780774828420, and it can be ordered from most libraries and bookstores.

Her five-part YouTube series starts here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-66YqEHkzA

The Story of Asbestos (1922): https://archive.org/details/0929StoryOfAsbestos

According to Plan: The Story of Modern Sidewalls for the Homes of America (1952): https://archive.org/details/Accordin1952

The Gruen Transfer: How To Sell Asbestos, Canada: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIpxelbkI0I

USGS public domain microscopy of asbestos: https://usgsprobe.cr.usgs.gov/picts2.html

The Canadian parliament quote is an official Hansard translation from the original French: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/eppp-archive/100/201/301/hansard-f/35-2/153_97-04-10/153SM1E.html#9543

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