Canari asbestos plant. Quarry at the Canari asbestos mine and factory in Cap Corse, Corsica. Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals that consist of thin fibrous crystals. It was widely used as an insulating material from the 19th to the 20th Century. However, inhaling asbestos fibres can cause mesothelioma (cancer), lung cancer, and asbestosis. It was therefore phased out and ultimately banned in a wide number of countries by 1980s and 1990s. Many developing countries still support the use of asbestos as a building material, and mining of asbestos is ongoing, with the top producer Russia producing around one million metric tonnes in 2015. Canari was closed on 12th June 1965.