| Abstract: | In Asbestos and Fire: Technological Tradeoffs and the Body atRisk, Rachel Maines historicizes the costs and benefits associatedwith technological innovation. Asbestos promised to help alleviatethe challenges posed by fire in American life, only to becomea scourge in its own right. In revealing this transformation,Maines advances our understanding of the complexities of riskas an economic and social construct. Long known for its fire resistive properties, asbestos beganto find popular use after the |
