Yes, everyone knew, especially the ceramics community. Back in 2006 a potter successfully sued Vanderbilt for contracting mesothelioma due to his use of Nytal,

Yes, everyone knew, especially the ceramics community. Back in 2006 a potter successfully sued Vanderbilt for contracting mesothelioma due to his use of Nytal, a talc widely used in the pottery community [1]. As of last year this brand of talc is no longer available due to the issue of asbestos contamination. It's widely known that many talcs contain asbestos or "asbestos-like" minerals and can be damaging to the lungs. It's a wonder that those old cartoons show mothers liberally applying clouds of baby powder to babies, those fine particulates hang around in the air for a very long time. [1]: https://www.levylaw.com/talc-asbestos-mesothelioma/ https://www.levylaw.com/talc-asbestos-mesothelioma/