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For Gritty Mix, how dangerous is DE when working with it?

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Posted by oneleaf OR (My Page) on
Wed, Aug 25, 10 at 14:19

I imagine that when working with Napa Floor Dry (DE), one should use a mask.

On Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth), it mentions Flux-Calcined DE being particularly dangerous.

Does Napa Floor Dry fall in this category? The thing is that even after screening it, if we have Gritty Mix in a big container, and someone goes in and sifts around, dust particles can come up.

If this is a dangerous product I may try to find something else. What are people's thoughts on this?

Thanks!

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RE: For Gritty Mix, how dangerous is DE when working with it?

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  • Posted by tapla z5b-6a MI (My Page) on
    Wed, Aug 25, 10 at 20:16

You should complete your research & decide if there is a level of risk you're uncomfortable with & proceed based on your decision. Most DE that is not powdered would be flux-calcinated, but FWIW, it's used extensively as the grass-free playing surface of ball diamonds, clay tennis courts, and other athletic surfaces. I have used it to make sure it's suitable in the mixes I often talk about, but I don't use it regularly. I use Turface instead. I take the same precautions with either product, as well as with peat, pine bark, and perlite when I'm screening - a paper dust mask, and I screen on breezy days with my back to the wind so the dust blows away from me.

If I was concerned about the dust from a stored source of a medium containing any of these products, I'd probably just dampen it before I handled it.

Al

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