Resources: https://www.asbestos.com/

Asbestos is a naturally occuring mineral rock, with a number of properties which made it hugely valuable to the construction industry. 
However, from the 1890s onwards, there was a realisation that exposure to asbestos fibres could lead to lung cancer, or scarring of lung tissue which could lead to lung failure. 

Fires

After a large number of fires involving loss of life in theatre buildings, strict regulations that everything on stage should be fire-retardant meant that when asbestos products became available, they were heavily used. 

• Exeter – Theatre Royal (1887)
• Chicago – Iroquois Theatre (1903)

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos Timeline

1879 – First commercial asbestos mine in Quebec
1930s – 1980s: Heavily used in a number of industries. 

The Lanier Law Firm has put together a huge collection of products that contained asbestos. 

Companies

• Amatex Corporation (USA)
• Johns Manville (USA)

Support for Mesothelioma

USA: Occupational Asbestos Exposure – Mesothelioma Hope

Asbestos in Theatres

Safety Curtain / Fire Curtain

Asbestos curtains (presumed to be the main safety curtain) were removed from the Schoenfeld Theater and Music Box Theater on Broadway in 2011. [ref]

Soft Scenery

Legs & Borders were made from cloth woven with asbestos until the 1980s. The asbestos fibres added structural integrity to the cloth, as well as making them fire retardant. 

Theatre Construction

Asbestos board was widely used in theatre and cinema buildings (as well as many others) for it’s structural strength, soundproofing and fire resistant properties. Many venues still have asbestos products, and the building owners should have a management plan in place to monitor the asbestos products, and to ensure that anyone working on the fabric of the building is aware of the asbestos, and takes steps to prevent disturbing it. 
If a building project requires the removal of asbestos-insulated walls or other elements, this must be done by a professional company who will seal the area, and wear special highly protective suits. 

Set Construction

In (at least) one UK venue, stage flooring on the auditorium side of the safety curtain (on the forestage) was under-lined with asbestolux (asbestos board) to ensure consistent fire protection. 

Scenery and props were textured with textured wall covering products such as Artex, which contained asbestos until the mid 1980s. Other manufacturers may have continued to use asbestos in similar products until it was banned in the UK in 2000. [ref] It was banned in the rest of the EU by 2003. 

Investigations are underway to establish if asbestolux boards were used in scenery construction in the 1970s. 

Lighting Equipment

Resistance dimmers and lighting instruments made in the 1950s and 1960s made use of asbestos insulation on cables and to protect the user from heat. Be aware of fibres and dust when discovering vintage equipment. Any asbestos-covered cable should be replaced with correctly rated modern cable before use. 

• Asbestos power inlet cables
  Power cables covered with a white woven outer sheath are most likely asbestos. Replace with silicone-insulated (heat resistant) cable at the earliest opportunity.
• Asbestos insulators beneath lamp base
  Check for an asbestos washer under the lamp base of early Strand Electric “Patt” lanterns. Replace with modern equivalents.
• Asbestos-lined multicore cables

Strand Electric Junior 8 dimmers also contain a significant quantity of asbestos.

For advice on removing or disposing of even small quantities of asbestos, please seek advice from local authorities. 

Mesothelioma / Asbestosis

Nellie Turner – died in 1924, after working in an asbestos factory in Rochdale, UK. The inquest identified the asbestos fibres in her lungs, resulting in suffocation. Her death was reported as ‘asbestos poisoning’. The factory owners never accepted responsibility for her death and no compensation was received. 

The actor Steve McQueen died from mesothelioma in 1980 aged 50, a form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos fibres. However, this is unlikely to have been caused by exposure in theatres or in film studios, as he wore protective clothing made from asbestos as a racing driver (his hobby). 

More information to follow.

After Asbestos

Coming soon

Historical Information 

Asbestos – A Matter of Time (1959)

US documentary about asbestos mining, extolling the uses of asbestos.