Have you ever heard about people removing asbestos from a building? That's because this material — which is a fibrous amphibole used because it's fireproof — has been found to be very bad for people's health when inhaled. If you inhale bits of asbestos, which flake off over time, you could get lung cancer, a disease caused asbestosis, or other respiratory problems. Like a lot of things, it took time for people to realize asbestos was doing more harm than good.