Asbestos was widely used in the United Kingdom for many decades. Lauded as an excellent insulator, the mineral found its way into shipyards, factories, chemical plants, power plants, refineries, commercial buildings and even homes and schools in the U.K. Little thought was given to the potential dangers of the mineral, even though scientific findings from as early as the 1920s and 1930s suggested that the material was causing serious respiratory illnesses in individuals exposed to airborne asbestos fibers.