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market-farming - RE: [Market-farming] asbestos in vermiculite

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  • From: Leigh Hauter <lh AT pressroom.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: RE: [Market-farming] asbestos in vermiculite
  • Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2004 14:00:19 -0500

>Apparently the mineral
deposits that they use for making vermiculite naturally contain the mineral
asbestos. The airborne small particles are the worst form of asbestos, as
compared to an encapsulated form.

Also (wearing my geologist's hat for just a bit) the word "asbestos" covers
several different minerals, some dangerous, some more benign. The ones that
cause cancer and silicosis, I believe, have fibers shaped like needles that
stick in your lungs. Other "asbestos" minerals may be more platy, like
vermiculite also is. You can look at your vermiculite with a X10 hand lens,
or even your bare eyes, and see whether there are needles in it. If not, you
are probably okay. Of course, speaking legalistically, that may not release
you from liability for your greenhouse workers, but at least it may help set
your mind more at ease!

Dave Campbell
Tiffin IA
_______________________________________________


I think a solution is probably to start buying my mix from the woman over in the next county who has a soil mixing operation. She uses sand. The reason why the large commercial mixes, I believe, use vermiculite or perlite is the weight. it costs a lot more to ship a mix containing sand then it does one containing perlite.




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