The North Tower of the World Trade Center stood for 102 minutes after impact. The South Tower collapsed in 56. One had asbestos fireproofing. One didn't. In 4,500 years of asbestos killing people, could September 11th be the one day it saved lives?

That question opens this series—and this episode takes us back to where it all began.

Roman historian Pliny the Elder documented asbestos workers dying from "sickness of the lungs" nearly 2,000 years ago, watching slaves fashion crude respirators from animal bladders to filter the dust. They knew. The pattern of knowing and ignoring has continued ever since.

In this premiere episode of Asbestos: A Conspiracy 4,500 Years in the Making, we trace humanity's relationship with the mineral the ancient Greeks named "asbestos"—meaning indestructible. From Finnish Stone Age pottery (2500 BCE) to Roman tablecloths that cleaned themselves in fire, we uncover how wonder became denial, and denial became catastrophe.

Together, we explore:

• The first documented warnings: Pliny the Elder's account of asbestos weavers dying while creating what he called "funeral dress for kings"—and the bladder-skin masks they wore in a futile attempt at protection

• The salamander myth that lasted 2,000 years: How Aristotle's 350 BCE writings spawned a legend that asbestos was woven from fire-lizard skin—a myth that persisted even after Marco Polo debunked it in 1280, and why Benjamin Franklin still advertised "salamander cotton" purses 450 years later

• Sacred flames and lethal stakes: The asbestos wicks that kept Athena's golden lamp burning in ancient Athens (requiring oil refills only once per year) and Rome's Vestal flame that burned for over 1,000 years—where letting it die meant being buried alive

• The pattern that explains everything: How the people closest to the dust always understood the danger while those farthest away admired the spectacle—the same dynamic that enabled the longest corporate cover-up in history

This is the first chapter of a story that spans Stone Age Finland to Russian propaganda, ancient temples to the World Trade Center, dying slaves to dying workers to dying veterans. The mineral changed. The excuses didn't.

For more information about asbestos exposure and its health effects, visit https://dandell.com/asbestos-exposure/

To understand mesothelioma—the cancer most associated with asbestos—visit https://dandell.com/mesothelioma/

Asbestos: A Conspiracy 4,500 Years in the Making is produced by Danziger & De Llano, a nationwide mesothelioma law firm with over 30 years of experience and nearly $2 billion recovered for asbestos victims. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For a free consultation, visit Dandell.com.

Resources:

→ Mesothelioma legal rights: https://dandell.com/mesothelioma/

→ Asbestos exposure sources: https://dandell.com/asbestos-exposure/

→ Asbestos trust funds ($30B+ available): https://dandell.com/asbestos-trust-funds/

→ Free case evaluation: https://dandell.com/contact/

Sister Podcast - MESO: The Mesothelioma Podcast:

http://mesotheliomapodcast.com/