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Before asbestos was banned from construction materials in 1975, the inclusion of asbestos in products used by insulation workers was so prevalent that insulators were commonly called "asbestos workers". Before 1975 asbestos was widely used in a large variety of construction materials. Workers used asbestos containing products to insulate furnaces, steam pipes, ovens and other high temperature structures. They cut and sawed these products creating loose particles that contained asbestos fibers. At the time of these activities the dangerous nature of asbestos was not known and protective measures were not understood as necessary for these workers. The workers applied asbestos block insulation, pipe covering and cements. The activities of the insulation trade resulted in workers being directly and closely in contact with asbestos. After asbestos was banned from construction materials in 1975, insulators in the construction trades still were exposed through repair and maintenance of asbestos products already in place.
