Medical and industrial fields were well aware of the dangerous nature of asbestos by this time. The medical literature of the 1920's and 1930's was developing a wealth of information about the hazards of asbestos. It was around this time that the asbestos companies began to gather and form trade associations in order to strengthen their industry. the asbestos trade associations and industry giants began to fund scientific studies to prove that asbestos was safe. Scientists came back with a different conclusion.

The asbestos industry did the unthinkable-they covered it up. Scientific reports were edited and modified, test results were altered or destroyed, and funding was stopped. The asbestos industry then embarked on a campaign to keep the information from reaching the general public.

Manufacturers continued selling millions of dollars worth of asbestos products to the public. It was used in massive amounts in shipyards, commercial construction and residential construction. Manufacturers of safer, non-asbestos insulations were bought out by the asbestos industry giants, stifling competition and safeguarding the cover-up.

Through the tireless efforts of some of those pioneering scientists, the United States government finally realized the hazards of asbestos, and began a slow campaign to curtail, and ultimately prohibit, its use in the United States.