“Pure White”: When Asbestos Was Used As Fake Snow – Design You Trust

“Pure White”: When Asbestos Was Used As Fake Snow


Asbestos Hunter

Although labeled as “Pure White” Snow, the highly fibrous material inside this vintage carton is actually beige; reflecting the fact that it is primarily amosite, amphibole asbestos (also known as “brown asbestos”).

h/t: vintag.es


Asbestos Hunter

Many films shot in the early 20th century, including the likes of The Wizard of Oz, featured their actors being sprinkled with fake snow. Little do viewers realize, this effect was created by showering performers with chrysotile asbestos fibers, small snow like particles that were once used on movie sets, in department store displays, and even in private homes. Everybody wanted to get in on the fake asbestos snow action. And why not? From the mid-1930s to the 1950s, asbestos was seen as a versatile and harmless substance.


Asbestos Hunter

To date, it’s difficult to know the hazard that was presented by asbestos-based fake snow products. Most asbestos products involved some quantity of the fiber being used as part of a chemical compound that bound the fibers together, making them difficult to inhale until the material was damaged. But fake snow, often used in displays or in family homes, was simply pure white asbestos fibre piled up in drifts. Anyone who had any contact was inhaling deadly fibers in quantities normally associated with those working in asbestos mines.


Asbestos Hunter

Thankfully, you can safely shop for fake snow this Christmas knowing you won’t be exposed to asbestos…but spare a thought for the innocent workers and householders of the past, many of whom are still living with the consequences of the 20th century’s addiction to asbestos.


Asbestos Hunter

If you want more awesome content, subscribe to 'Oh, Design You Trust,' our brand new Facebook page! Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

More Inspiring Stories

The Superb Retro Inspired Collages by Figaro Many
Exploring the Delicious Slices of London: A Look at Cafes from the 1980s
A Holiday Potpourri Of 40 Classy To Wildly Irreverent Vintage Christmas Magazine Covers
Alexander Calder’s Iconic Flying Colors Series for Braniff Airlines in the 1970s
Beautiful Photos Of John Lennon With His First Wife Cynthia At Their Home In 1965
The Image of an Orthodox Church in a Modern Architectural Solution
Nike Created A Limited-Edition "Stranger Things" Sneakers Made With Fabric That Can Be Burned Away To Reveal Hidden Details
1969 Chevrolet Astro III Concept
At Home With The Rolling Stones: Surprising, Charismatic, Scandalous, Intense And Reckless, Here Are The Early Stones As Never Seen Before
Modern Home Features a Staircase Designed Specifically for Small Pets
This Cave-Like Art Gallery Has Been Built Inside A Sand Dune
Playful Pictures of Marilyn Monroe Having Breakfast in Bed, 1953
The 1958 Plymouth Tornado Concept Car Has Been Found And Restored
The Barcode Project
Artist Spent 116 Hours In Total To Create All These Drawings Of His Childhood Objects From The Nineties
MetaWriter Software Vending Machine, 1983
Grandson Inherits His Grandfather’s Collection Of Unseen Street Photos Taken Over Half A Century Ago
25 Year Old British Man Dresses As A 19th Century Regency Gentleman In Bespoke Clothing He Designs
Beautiful Photos of Margaux Hemingway in the 1970s and ’80s
For the Last Decade, Artist and Collector Thomas Sauvin Recovered Discarded Negatives from A Recycling Plant Outside Beijing
A Look Inside This Starbucks Modeled After A Japanese Teahouse
Cubicle? No. That's Bubblicle!
Futuristic Cylinder Homes by Guy Dessauges, 1966
Chinese Farmer Builds Apocalypse-Proof 'Noah’s Ark' Pods