Vermiculite cancerous????

[gypski]

I tried to get some vermiculite and was told it has been banned because it causes cancer. Anyone else hear of that? :cool:

[420247nAK]

where did you hear this about vermiculite? i know right now, up here in alaska, you can go to wal-mart and buy a big ass bag of vermiculite, not sure where your trying to shop though?

[Mr. Clandestine]

I'm not entirely sure about whether or not any of the compounds are known to directly cause cancer, but I know both perlite and vermiculite should be handled with care because they both produce dust which can become airborne very easily. Kinda like asbestos, it does have useful applications but you should consider wearing a mask when handling the raw material... just in case.

[gypski]

where did you hear this about vermiculite? i know right now, up here in alaska, you can go to wal-mart and buy a big ass bag of vermiculite, not sure where your trying to shop though?

From an old fellow working at a nursery in the Seattle area. So, I got a bag of Cascade Forest Products Peat Moss/Perlite/Pumice/Washed Sand to put my tomato plant seedlings in. :jointsmile: Looks like it will be excellent for the little tykes. They seem so happy in it!! :thumbsup:

[cigarettes42]

dont know if vermeculite is cancerous but my hydro store still sells it. my huge bag of perlite has a cancer warning on it saying that you should avoid breathing the dust.... and they still sell it in cali.

[killerweed420]

Alot of vermiculite has lead in it. Do a little research online and you'll see. I would never use vermiculite for anything I was going to eat or smoke.

[gypski]

Alot of vermiculite has lead in it. Do a little research online and you'll see. I would never use vermiculite for anything I was going to eat or smoke.

Well, it wasn't used very extensively and it was a mixture with potting soil. But having lead???????? We all should be able to plant in good old Mother Earth without fear of theft, persecution, or prosecution. Keep them where they can't be seen per se and keep your paperwork with them. :thumbsup: :jointsmile:

[the image reaper]

we probably ain't supposed to eat it :D

[Greenthing]

we probably ain't supposed to eat it :D
Laughing my tits off.:thumbsup:
My mate dose his cuttings in Vermiculite and Perlite mixed.:stoned::hippy:

[crabbyback]

Laughing my tits off.:thumbsup:
My mate dose his cuttings in Vermiculite and Perlite mixed.:stoned::hippy:
I've been using vermiculite all my life and never had a problem with it.

It has not been banned federally that I know of. That said, and given the nanny state mentality that is prevalent now, maybe in your state.

In the words of the great Joe Jackson --
Evvvveeeerrrrrry thiiiiinnnnnggg gives you cancer :microwave:

[Greenthing]

Over here the fishing tackle shops use it to keep ragworm and lugworm
(Sea fishing bait) fresh.

[killerweed420]

I was wrong. Its asbestos that some vermiculite has in it. Vermiculite is not banned here in the US. But then we're pretty slow about banning toxic substances here. We usually wait till a few thousand have died firts.lol

[JD1stTimer]

There was one mine that had asbestos in the same vein as the vermiculite, but they closed that mine and it has not been a problem since, but it got so well-known in the gardening industry that it became almost an irrefutable truth that vermiculite is cancerous. You can buy it in large quantities at ulead.com

[GaGrown]

I'm not entirely sure about whether or not any of the compounds are known to directly cause cancer, but I know both perlite and vermiculite should be handled with care because they both produce dust which can become airborne very easily. Kinda like asbestos, it does have useful applications but you should consider wearing a mask when handling the raw material... just in case.

Ga Grown!

[GaGrown]

we probably ain't supposed to eat it :D

Don't breathe the shit! In the state of California it is known to cause cancer and be hazardous to your health! Wear a dust mask!! Your preference!

Ga Grown!

[GaGrown]

Alot of vermiculite has lead in it. Do a little research online and you'll see. I would never use vermiculite for anything I was going to eat or smoke.

Vermiculite is not going to harm you with or without a mask,as long as you add water to it before you mix with it. Just wear a mask either way !

Ga Grown!

[azziman]

Basically vermiculite has been mined before accidentally with a seams asbestos so therefore any vermiculite could potentially contain traces of asbestos fibre.

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 at winchite and richterite (both fibrous amphiboles) â?? 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.[3]

Pure vermiculite does not contain asbestos and is non-toxic, but it can become contaminated over long periods if there is a presence of a secondary mineral called diopside. After millions of years of weatherization, the biotite turns into vermiculite and the diopside turns into asbestos.

source: Vermiculite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermiculite)