Hi Philip,
It's interesting that asbestos was banned here for building products(80's i think) but was still used extensively in car clutches, brake linings, and whipper snipper/ brush cutter clutches for about another 20 years. Mechanics & tyre changers would blow out the brakes into clouds of dust containing asbestos. Property/parks mtce folk would have the brush cutter motors around & about their head & manufacturs seemed more involved in reducing noise levels to about 86 decibels to satisfy the occupational health demands.
Another overlooked health issue was fibreglass & concrete dust. I did work for a fibreglasser: I had to tow the trailer boats home as he didn't have room on his 3 acre property-LOL) who I later learned wouldn't be around "the dust" and had me cut the boats with a grinder until repairable. I then learned that power tools warrenty was not recognised if f'glass or cement dust was/were evident in a broken tool.

Stay well
Ranald