Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Anyone know why Vermiculite has been banned at stores like Home Depot and Lows?

Thanks Tom

i think it was linked to cancer like everything else in this world.

link
perhaps?

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RicK Denmon

Ball Boutique,Inc.

I just got a big bag at Orchard Supply Hardware about a month ago.

(It used to be blown into attics and walls as an insulator, like fiberglass. It contains some small amounts of asbestos, and the dust seems to be "linked" to lung problems in some people. That's one reason why you are supposed to use it damp and not to stir it up when it is dry and dusty.) I can't imagine how dusty it would be to blow many bags of it into an attic when it is totally dry.

Thank the trial lawyers for banning another useful product!

Rodney

Yes, it was the POSSIBLE asbestos contamination which has caused many chain stores in particular to drop vermiculite. Who can blame them? Who wants to deal with lawsuits? But a little searching online will turn up plenty of suppliers.

I got a monster-sized bag for fairly cheap from a packaging supplier (maybe Uline or Associated Bag Co., I can’t remember now). Some places use the stuff for cushioning fill in shipping boxes. It didn’t have exactly the size particle I wanted (not coarse enough), but it worked just fine for egg incubation, anyway. It’s funny when you start researching something online and end up learning more than you would ever have wanted to know about something. That was the case for me with grades of vermiculite as well as the whole asbestos issue. The link in Rick’s post above was one that I found very helpful.

-Joan

Have you tried Frank's Nursery? They usually carry it.

Home Depot still sells it but only sells it in the large commercial cize Bags now. I recently purchased another bag of it at Home Depot myself. I can't remember the size exactly but the bag is about 4 feet tall and plain brown.
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Rob Trenor
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Link

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Greg
www.imageevent.com/gmherps