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Vermiculite contains asbestos??

Jessica71

Jessica71

New member
Just wanted some people's thoughts. I was browsing on the internet to buy some new vermiculite as my female is due to lay in a couple of weeks' time, and I used it to incubate eggs successfully last year. I came across an article stating that it may contain asbestos. Does anyone know anything about this? I know there are different kinds of asbestos - one harmful and one not, off the top of my head. Surely it must be safe to use it, as thousands of people use it for their snakes or tarantulas or in their gardens??

While I'm on the subject, do people prefer perlite or sphagnum moss for incubation?

Thanks,

Jessica
 
I think it's banned in iceland or somewhere like that, because of it's potential cancer causing effects....... :eek1: :sidestep:
 
Thanks for your replies. It's interesting... funny that I've never heard this before anywhere! Maybe I'll get rid of the leftover vermiculite I have in the house and use perlite this year...
 
Jessica71 said:
Just wanted some people's thoughts. I was browsing on the internet to buy some new vermiculite as my female is due to lay in a couple of weeks' time, and I used it to incubate eggs successfully last year. I came across an article stating that it may contain asbestos. Does anyone know anything about this? I know there are different kinds of asbestos - one harmful and one not, off the top of my head. Surely it must be safe to use it, as thousands of people use it for their snakes or tarantulas or in their gardens??

While I'm on the subject, do people prefer perlite or sphagnum moss for incubation?

Thanks,

Jessica
Click to expand...
Many people used DDT and asbestos. They used to make jewelry with radium on it because it would glow in the dark... the point being that the number of people who use it doesn't have anything to do with how safe it is. :santa:

I did some reading on vermiculite. Here's something that caught my eye in this document: http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/vermiculite.pdf

EPA said:
Vermiculite deposits are found in similar geologic settings around the world. Many contain asbestiform minerals as contaminants. There are four active vermiculite mines in the United States. Two are located in the Enoree district of South Carolina, one in Louisa County Virginia, and one in Dillon, Montana. Previous geological studies, cited in references 3, 4, and 5 of this report, have established that all four of these mines contain asbestiform minerals.
Click to expand...
They also acknowledge that some vermiculite does in fact contain asbestos, but although they named one brand, they said there's really no way for you to tell which one do or don't contain asbestos or how much of it.

A shorter statement by the EPA is here: http://www.epa.gov/asbestos/pubs/vermfacts.pdf
EPA said:
The results of this investigation indicate that the potential exposure to asbestos from some vermiculite products poses only a minimal health risk to consumers, although workers may face more serious risks.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure whether using it in the capacity we do would fall into "consumer" or "worker." But overall, the stuff I read in the long PDF linked above was not very reassuring.
 
I know of no asbestos that is considered safe. Asbestos is known to cause cancer and lung disease. It was very often used for insulation and I believe any buildings with old insulation had to be inspected and the insulation changed if asbestos was present. I can not remember most of the other uses but usually it would be related to things like insulation and fire retardants.

I doubt anyone could give you a clear indication of the amount of asbestos exposure that is considered "safe". If that is the case then I would opt for safety especially since other alternatives are available. I would consider this especially in homes with young children who love putting things in their mouth and are not very good at washing hands!
 
Thanks for your replies. Yes, I know about asbestos and buildings. I was sure I had heard there was a harmless type - that whether or not a building needed to be destroyed using proper protection depended on the type of asbestos. It might have been something like the color of the asbestos. I'm not sure. And I am aware of the implications - asbestosis and mesothelioma.

In general I know that asbestos is not a good thing to have around, which is why I was very surprised and somewhat concerned to read about this today. It is certainly true that just because lots of people use it doesn't necessarily mean it's safe - I just meant that in modern society there seem to be health warnings on packaging all the time - "drinking is harmful in pregnancy", "smoking causes lung cancer" etc - it seems surprising that there is nothing obvious on vermiculite and that in my previous reading I hadn't come across this. The article was very helpful - thank you. I think perhaps I'll use perlite.
 
I think for the most part determining that things in the environment are toxic and at what levels is a very difficult thing. I also think that "the powers that be" move slowly when it comes to these types of warnings for many different reasons. It could be that it will be determined that the amount of asbestos in the vermiculite is negligible and that it is safe. I would guess it is.

We all determine what risks we are willing to take everyday - how much we eat, do we smoke, do we drink, do we cross the street only at a light or a stop sign, do we wear seatbelts.... This is just another one of those decisions!


Joanna
 
Evidently there was a supply of vermiculite mined from one location that did contain asbestos, but the product was pulled from the market when it was discovered. The vermiculite that you are purchasing now is free from asbestos.
 
Libby

There was a special on television the other night that addressed the Libby plant that produced vermiculite.
Unfortunately I can't remember just exactly where this plant is but it did mention that over the years of plant operation, 300 plus people working and living near the plant have been diagnosed with mesothelioma.

I personally prefer sphagnum moss.
I didn't shy away from vermiculite because of asbestos, I just have an easier time maintaining the proper moisture of sphagnum moss
 
MegF. said:
Evidently there was a supply of vermiculite mined from one location that did contain asbestos, but the product was pulled from the market when it was discovered. The vermiculite that you are purchasing now is free from asbestos.
Click to expand...
This is what I had heard years back, but it is not true. The EPA study that found asbestos in vermiculite was done in 2000, almost a decade after that one mine was shut down. The vermiculite you're getting now might be free from asbestos, or it might not, and there's no way for you to know if it is or how much it has.
 
Glad I read this. After reading those articles I did some searching myself, and was amazed at what the "legal" amount of asbestos is in household goods.. 1 part per 10,000 which is somewhat high. Glad I decided to start growing moss already hehe, tho mom and dad aren't happy that 1/2 the basement is a swamp now LOL. Darn stuff grows REALLY fast when you get it into the right conditions.. wonder what the market is like for organic sphagnum... hrmmm hehe
 
This is my first year breeding. The first thing i was goning to use... vermiculate. After talking to several people Misty,(Taceas), convinced me to use spagnum. Apparently it keeps humitiy well and the mom's like nesting in it. Just my $0.02
 
After swaying one way and then the other, I've decided to try sphagnum moss too. Let's hope it works as well as vermiculite did last year! :) (and that I'm not brewing some horrible lung disease, lol!).
 
If you have any questions about it, i'm sure misty can tell you more about it. She was very helpful when i had my questions about it.
 
Jimmy Johnson said:
There was a special on television the other night that addressed the Libby plant that produced vermiculite.
Unfortunately I can't remember just exactly where this plant is but it did mention that over the years of plant operation, 300 plus people working and living near the plant have been diagnosed with mesothelioma.
....
Click to expand...

completely :-offtopic ... the Libby plant is in Montana (and, no, I'm not in Libby) :)
 
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