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nafex - Re: [NAFEX] Ground Egg Shells

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  • From: Ginda Kaplan Fisher <list@ginda.us>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Ground Egg Shells
  • Date: Sat, 4 Jan 2003 11:39:43 -0500

A good rule of thumb is that too much of any kind of dust is bad for you. Every dusty occupation seems to have its own named lung disease (black lung for coal, brown lung for cotton, silicosis for clay workers, etc.) Some dusts are extraordinarily dangerous - asbestos causes two kinds of cancer as well as asbestosis.

On the other hand, I can't believe you process enough egg shell to matter. Also, I doubt you grind it so fine that the dust gets into the smallest passages of the lungs, where it generally does the most damage. I saw a headline recently "world trade center dust not as hazardous as feared". The gist of the article was that the dust from the burning was mostly larger particles, and so easier for the lungs to clear out. If you are worried about contagious disease, I'd guess you're more at risk eating the egg and handling it.

I'd just try not to breathe too much and not worry about it.

I'm thinking of saving eggshells to spread on the garden for the calcium. Any dangers I should be aware of? Does it attract critters?

Best,
Ginda Fisher

On Saturday, January 4, 2003, at 10:37 AM, Thomas Olenio wrote:

Hello All,

I have a question regarding grinding egg shells in a food processor. I
use the ground shells in soil, and for a vermiculture composting bin
(worms require the roughage).

While I was grinding egg shells this morning the thought crossed my mind
whether the dust that arises from this would be healthy to inhale?

The egg shells are rinsed to remove the slippery film inside and then left
to thouroghly dry before grinding.

Any thoughts? Sort of like the "Is bonemeal dust safe to inhale?"
question.

I try to use as much waste as possible around the home, not because I
worry about the landfill, but the township is starting to charge for every
bag of trash they remove from your property. So grinding egg shells
serves a couple of purposes for me, but are there any issues I should keep
in mind?

Thanks,
Tom

--
Southwest Ontario
Canada Hardiness Zone 6a
(similar to US zone 5)

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