This 1959 film by the Bureau of Mines (US Department of the Interior.) describes how asbestos is mined and processed and the significant role it plays in our lives. Using diagrams and on location shooting, both open pit and block carving methods of mining asbestos are described, followed by a detailed examination of how the fiber is milled and undergoes its change from crude ore to refined fiber. The remainder of the film deals with the numerous ways this versatile mineral enhances our daily lives, from roofing materials to automobile brake linings. Note several mentions of dust control, but no specific mention of the occupational asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma, diseases caused by inhaling asbestos dust. Asbestos manufacturers knew of these diseases by the 1930s.