A BRIEF HISTORY OF FIREPROOFING*

4000 BCE

Ancient Greeks mined the toxic mineral asbestos – named for their word meaning ‘indistinguishable’ – and used its fibrous crystals to make wicks for candles and lamps.

450 BCE

Greek historian Herodotus reported the use of asbestos shrouds in funeral pyres to preserve a body’s ashes. Meanwhile, the Romans sewed asbestos fibres into tablecloths and serviettes.

755

King Charlemagne of France ordered an asbestos-woven tablecloth to prevent accidental fires (a major party foul) at his many feasts and fêtes.

1725

As the Italian government doled out asbestos-fibred bank notes to their citizenry, Ben Franklin touted a purse made of the fireproof material during a visit to England.

1821

French chemist Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac fused boron salts with ammonium phosphate to create a fire-protective agent for clothing, but the substance’s high solubility meant that it came out in the wash.

1912

British chemist William Perkins added stannic oxide – a heated solution of sodium stannate and ammonium sulfate – to Gay-Lussac’s mix. The result could resist two years of regular washing.

1957

Two American scientists,

Wilson Reeves and JD Guthrie, discovered that reacting tetrakis hydroxymethyl phosphonium chloride (THPC) with some other compounds creates a resin that is fire-resistant and keeps treated fabric strong and lightweight.

It’s integrated into many cotton fabrics, including children’s sleepwear.