Vermiculite may contain asbestos

[Dreamwalker.]

Vermiculite may contain asbestos

i was watching a TED

"Margaret Heffernan: The dangers of "willful blindness"

and this came up.....it was news to me ....and I'm not even sure if this was the best forum to post it...........I'd welcome any comment.......its something I have used a lot for seedlings.......... a wiki quote

"Although not all vermiculite contains asbestos, some products were made with vermiculite that contained asbestos until the early 1990s. Vermiculite mines throughout the world are now regularly tested for it and are supposed to sell products that contain no asbestos. The former vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana, did have tremolite asbestos as well as winchite and richterite (both fibrous amphiboles) — in fact, it was formed underground through essentially the same geologic processes as the contaminants. A vermiculite mine in Virginia has also been found to be contaminated by asbestos.^{[broken citation][3]}"

The TED post says the mind was closed in 2002.................so really can you trust using the stuff.............I have watched a family member die from asbestosis ...............ugly desease..............

/www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Kn5JRgz3W0o

http://on.ted.com/Hefferna

Edited January 13, 2014 by Dreamwalker

[whitewind]

Yuck thanks for posting that it may be worth checking your sources (if possible).

Puts me off using it a bit, great stuff though it is for prop

[bogfrog]

Thanks for posting indeed! I hate the stuff, now I can convince my flatmate to chuck out the bag he always leaves lying around.

[Sallubrious]

Was that restricted to a few isolated producers in the US ?

I've never heard of any problems with Australian vermiculite.

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

If anything, I've heard our perlite supplies are plagued with asbestosis? Maybe there's a new media coming to market ;)

[Sallubrious]

^ I've never heard that Dood.

I know perlite can cause silicosis which can kill you just as dead abestosis or mesothelioma.

Edited September 9, 2013 by SallyD

[theuserformallyknownasd00d]

I've only heard it from suppliers and retail sellers, apparently it's all in the dust. No doubt a miss understanding and you're more on the money

[quarterflesh]

no wonder they recommend to not breath in the dust from the bags

[tedzr]

I always hold my breath when opening up my perlite bag, run away around the side to breath then come back and mix it into my soil, I know others wet it. Kinda freaky!

[Anodyne]

Be very careful when handling rockwool too - it's another silicosis-causing one.

In general any fine particles are bad - just about any industry where workers are exposed they end up with nasty lung problems/cancers. Asbestos certainly got the media attention, but coal dust, ash, sawdust, etc can all cause serious problems too. If you're handling bags of dry dusty stuff like vermiculite & perlite, wet it down &/or wear a mask. Those disposable surgical masks cost about 10 cents. It's not really that much hassle all things considered - being able to breathe is pretty nice, after all.

[mysubtleascention]

I think surgical masks are designed to stop air flow from within going out mainly to protect the wound of the patient..

.. a wet cloth mask may work .. as well as dust mask - designed for breathing in dusty environments..

[Evil Genius]

Yeah we were pointing that out every now and then in the past years. Wouldnt recommend working with it in a dry state. You can always moist it what keeps the fibers from getting airborne. Personally, i totally stopped using it. Its unnecessary anyway and can be exchanged with lot of other things.

Btw just fyi, Cat Litter contains Asbestos too sometimes. And so do some commercial stone mixes.

[Anodyne]

Sorry yes, my bad - dust mask, not surgical mask. But even a damp bandana or the like would be better than nothing.

[mysubtleascention]

surviving con -
test
.. as best as

mine !

Edited September 11, 2013 by mysubtleascention

[Anodyne]

Aha MSA, I think you've hit upon the solution to avoiding silicosis whilst handling gardening supplies! Safe and sexy...

Although y'know now it's only a matter of time before this turns into the "Gasmasks Porn NSFW" thread...

[watertrade]

And don't forget legionnaires disease from dry potting mix. It's a dangerous games were playing here.....

[waterboy 2.0]

^ thats why they punch holes in most commercial bags now, to stop a warm humid vapour forming which legionella loves to multiply in. Its when you are exposed to a given dose of organisms infection can develop (unless immunocompromised).

I've seen first hand what an infection can do, and its typically misdiagnosed first as the flu. I know someone close to me that contracted it from poorly maintained air-conditioning.

Its also most likely most of you have more "assie" in your homes than you are aware of. Always be wary of what you may be drilling or cutting through.....

Edited September 12, 2013 by waterboy