Should we blame the old house builders for using asbestos?

Unequivocally, yes. Those shitheads knew or should have known. Don’t believe me? Here is a handy link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169500224003623

Do note the decades between when it was understood the shit was dangerous and when the decline as a building material happened.

I suppose he was referring to the ones that used it before it was understood.