Historically asbestos has been mined in many countries with the earliest mines being in Italy, Russia, Canada and later in the United States. Mining asbestos in the United States didn't occur until the later part of 1880, however it was a huge development in the building and construction industry. One of the earliest patents that used asbestos was developed in 1896 in England. This product was actually asbestos brakes, or more specifically the brake linings. The fire retardant, high tensile strength of the asbestos brake lining was perfect for standing up to wear and tear and extending the length of the brake. In reality most asbestos brake linings have now been replaced with semi-metallic disc brakes. However, older models of cars, even those produced in the early 1990's may still have the asbestos brake linings. The dust that is produced by the slight wearing of the asbestos lining is full of microscopic, long, needle-like shards of asbestos fibers. When brake technicians, mechanics or even do-it-yourselfers change these brakes they can be exposing themselves to asbestos fibers if they don't wash off the breaks with a recommended cleaner and use a vacuum rather than an air hose to remove any dirt from the brakes during repair or replacement.