Martinite: An Alternative to Asbestos Insulation Available Since the Nineteenth Century

The asbestos industry has always claimed that asbestos is a 'magic mineral', which is not replaceable. New findings, however, contradict this because asbestos-free alternatives, with excellent insulating properties, have been available since the end of the nineteenth century. The aim of this current research is to gather evidence of the potential of 'Martinite' to replace asbestos. We identified references to 'Martinite' in documents and brochures pertaining to insulation of ships, dating back as far as possible by acquiring recent interviews, utilizing records in public libraries and in archives, and conducting web searches. Martinite was produced by a small company called 'Manifatture Martiny', founded at the end of the nineteenth century in Turin, Italy. This company was specialized in insulation materials production, such as cork, rubber, foams, and even asbestos. In the early twentieth century, Martinite was utilized in warships of the Royal Italian Navy. During this time, it was patented in Italy and in many other industrialized nations. It was also utilized in construction of civilian power plants and was approved by the Architects Corporation in 1940. Furthermore, it was licenced in 1950 by the Italian National Naval Certification Body (UNAV) to be used on ships. We argue that had Martinite been properly advertised and distributed, it could have been used worldwide in place of asbestos for some applications, resulting in a lower incidence of serious and fatal diseases. The small scale of the company, compared to those of the asbestos multinationals, contributed to the lack of commercial development of the product.