Bone is part of what’s known as the third wave of asbestos deaths. The first wave was those who worked directly with asbestos in mines and factories. The second wave was those who worked with or near the material: shipyard and rail workers, builders and other tradespeople, engineers. The third wave comprises all those who have been exposed as asbestos-containing materials deteriorate or are disturbed, releasing millions of fibres into the air, unseen. If the first and second waves constitute a horrific occupational disaster, then the third wave is a vast environmental and infrastructural catastrophe.