Asbestos history dates back to the ancient Romans. They used it for its thermal insulation abilities. Modern discovery of the property and use of asbestos, however, did not happen until 1876. In this year, Joseph Fecteau discovered chrysotile asbestos in Quebec, Canada. The province began mining the mineral substance 2 years later. South Africa, the only producer of chrysotile, crocodolite and amosite, began mining in 1893. In South Africa the first asbestos was taken from the ground using surface mining techniques. Asbestos remained a popular choice for insulation and fire retardant products during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It reached its peak usage during the 1960s. It was not until the 1970s that serious doubts surfaced regarding certain types of asbestos. This was a dark chapter in asbestos history. The evidence of mounting fatalities due to asbestos resulted in the banning of many amphibole types of asbestos and friable asbestos products. Factories and governments began to institute stricter controls on the exposure to asbestos, tightening limits. In the late 1990s, countries began to ban the production, manufacturing and importation of specific asbestos or asbestos products.