Asbestos wasn't always a dirty word. The needle-like fibre had many uses and inventors were tripping over each other to find more: it was woven into clothes, building insulation and coffee pots.

Sent at 4:35 p.m., the message began “**Attn all personnel**” and said that the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s hazmat team reported the air in Altadena is “‘hazardous, containing ...

“It is made up of tiny, invisible fibres that can be breathed in or rest on your clothes. Asbestos was used in many industries and buildings until it was banned in 1999.” ...