Fibrous varieties of amphibole and serpentine, including chrysotile (fibrous serpentine), actinolite (asbestos proper), amosite (a variety of anthophyllite), and crocidolite (blue asbestos; a variety of riebeckite). Ancient civilizations referred to asbestos cloth as amianthus (from the Greek word meaning ‘undefiled’), because it could be cleaned by throwing it into a fire and all varieties of asbestos have great heat-resistant properties; varieties with fibres long enough to be spun and woven were formerly used commercially for heat-resistant cements, cladding, and insulation material, and for asbestos corrugated sheets. However, many of its uses, particularly as brake pads for cars and as pipe and ceiling insulation materials, have been banned, because the inhalation of asbestos dust (small, airborne, needle-like fibres) can cause serious lung diseases (e.g. asbestosis) and contribute to pneumoconiosis. Health concerns have led to a worldwide reduction in asbestos production to below 3 million tonnes annually.