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Diatomaceous Earth Research What Is Diatomaceous Earth? We Have Seen Many Explanations for What Diatomaceous Earth Is

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Diatomaceous Earth Research What Is Diatomaceous Earth? We Have Seen Many Explanations for What Diatomaceous Earth Is Diatomaceous Earth Research What is Diatomaceous Earth? We have seen many explanations for what Diatomaceous Earth is. But we know that Diatomaceous Earth (aka D.E.) is basically the deposit of Diatoms which died and settled to the bottom of seabeds and rivers. These Diatoms formed layers of rock deposits which are mined for use in everything from animal feeds to industry. The Rocky Mountain Livestock Journal said, “Millions of years ago, in all the waters of the earth, microscopic one-celled plants called diatoms took the minerals from the waters and created protective shells for themselves." These diatoms photosynthesize, combining oxygen, the most available element on Earth, and silica, the second most available element on Earth. "Diatoms once lived in quantities far beyond the mind’s ability to conceive, and as they died their shells drifted to the bottom of the seabeds. In this manner, vast deposits of diatom shells were laid down.” National Geographic Magazine said, “They come from inner space and are essential to life on this planet. Single-celled algae, diatoms by the trillions produce oxygen by photosynthesis, support the oceanic food chain, and help mankind do a host of industrial chores.” “More than twenty-five thousand species of diatoms, and no shell the same. Each a living jewel.” Diatoms were discovered in 1702 by a pioneer of Microscopy, Anton van Leeuwenhoek. He at first thought they were tiny animals. It was later that scientists concluded that because they photosynthesized, they were indeed plants and not animals. Several years later, German Microscopist J.D. Mooler, spent 15 years mounting over 4,000 diatom species on a single slide. There is evidence that the Chinese began adding D.E. to their animal feeds some 5,000 years ago. Further, various countries in Europe have been adding D.E. to the animal feed for many years now. There are many variations of D.E. deposits, as we will learn later in this section, consisting of many different species of diatoms. The diatoms in any given deposit will give that deposit certain characteristics, causing it to greatly differ from other deposits. Many things contribute to the quality of the D.E. as well. Is D.E. a Safe Product for Animals and Humans? That all depends on who you ask. To us, it is extremely safe, other than being dusty. But we use a special type of D.E. We just simply put on a dust mask when using it. I have seen some folks say it will kill chickens if they are allowed to dust themselves in it. The only way that we can agree with that theory is if the user has chosen to use a D.E. that is not certified as “Food Grade”, "Codex", "Fossil Shell Flour", or "Amorphous" and they are using it in an enclosed area with poor ventilation. If you think about it, doesn't it make common sense that breathing a naturally occurring product that has been categorized as a Group 3 substance by IARC, would be less harmful than breathing chemical dust or fumes from a product that is not naturally occurring? A Group 3 is "not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to + humans." Read below what The IPM Practitioner William Quarles said on the subject: It is titled : DIATOMACEOUS EARTH FOR PEST CONTROL “Both swimming pool grade and natural diatomaceous earth come from the same fossil sources, but they are processed differently. The natural grades are mined, dried, ground, sifted and bagged. The pool grade is chemically treated and partially melted and consequently contains crystalline silica which can be a respiratory hazard. Thus, it is imperative that only natural diatomaceous earth be used for insect control. This non-crystalline silica is not a hazard as the human body apparently can dissolve it." “Ingestion of diatomaceous earth is not toxic to mammals. Rats fed a daily diet containing 5% freshwater diatomaceous earth show no abnormalities after 90 days (Bertke 1964). Dairy farms sometimes feed their animals food containing 1 to 2% diatomaceous earth to control worms and other internal parasites (Allen 1972). The Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health, education and Welfare, sets “tolerances” on poisonous chemical insecticides because residues of these insecticides are known to cause cancer and other alarming physiological effects when introduced into the bodies of test animals. The Department of Agriculture in Michigan said in a letter, “Our animal pathologist has examined the vital organs and intestinal components submitted, both macroscopically and microscopically, and has found no visible evidence of organ abnormalities. These components consisted of brain, thyroid, rib section, lung, heart, liver, true stomach, small intestine section, large intestine section, pancreas, kidney, bladder, and forestomach. These organs were submitted under affidavit as being from a slaughtered dairy cow having free choice access to fossil shell flour for approximately five years.” The University of Arkansas did a study to determine whether the addition of diatomaceous earth was harmful to chickens. Their conclusion, “It posed no threat.” What is a Tolerance? "A “tolerance” is the maximum amount of any certain poison, which can legally be found in any certain foodstuff intended for human consumption. The amount of poison which can legally appear in any type of foodstuff is established by the Food and Drug Division of the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare by Bio-Assay. (Some states impose even more rigid rules) Tolerance limits vary all the way from “zero” to many parts per million and are frequently changed as new information becomes available. Impoverished humans add “Fossil Flour” to their baked goods in order to stretch their flour supply (Cummins 1975). It is so safe for use on food that the FDA has exempted diatomaceous earth from requirements of fixed residue levels when added to stored grain (Fed. Reg. 1961). The U.S. EPA also allows its use in food storage and processing areas (Fed. Reg. 1981). The only possible health effect comes from long-term chronic exposure to quantities of the inhaled dust. Current maximum U.S. exposure standards are 6 mg/m3 of dust containing less than 1% crystalline silica (Pestline 1991). Calcined diatomaceous earth poses the greatest problem. For instance, rats showed little reaction when their lungs were exposed to 5-80 mg of naturally occurring diatomaceous earth, but a strong reaction to diatomaceous earth that had been calcined (heated to 800 C) (Swensson 1971)." They further go on to say, “Marine diatomaceous earth has enough crystalline silica in it that mining can cause health problems. Diatomite from this source may produce a distinct type of pneumoconiosis, the term applied to any abnormality in the lungs resulting from the inhalation of dust (Abrams 1954).” What About Silicosis? “Silicosis refers to lung contamination and irritation by crystalline or free silica (SiO2). Crystalline describes the orientation of the SiO2 molecules, which occur in a fixed pattern in contrast to the nonperiodic, random molecular arrangement defined as amorphous. Exposure to free silica is an occupational hazard to workers.” Perma-Guard, a refined fraction of diatomaceous earth, is the only insecticide product on the market which is totally exempted from these tolerance requirements. This is true because Perma- Guard is an inert mineral dust of natural origin and contains no Synthetic Chemicals whose residues can find their way into your body to cause cancer and other diseases. What is Crystalline or Free Silica? The USGS says, "Crystalline silica is the scientific name for a group of minerals composed of silicon and oxygen. The term crystalline refers to the fact that the oxygen and silicon atoms are arranged in a three-dimensional repeating pattern." They go further saying, "The compound silica (SiO2 ) is formed from silicon and oxygen atoms. A chemical compound is defined as a distinct and pure substance formed by the union of two or more elements. Because oxygen is the most abundant element in the Earth's crust and silicon is the second most abundant, the formation of silica is quite common in nature. The silica sand, just mentioned as the substance used to derive pure silicon, is made of quartz, which is the most common form of silica found in nature. Silica can also be biological in origin, produced by tiny organisms. The most significant of these are diatoms (plants) and radiolarians (animals), both of which extract silica from the water around them to form their structures or shells. For both organisms, silica is a nutrient they must have to survive. In nature, they use the dissolved silica that originates from sedimentary rocks at the bottom of a lake, river, or ocean. Thus, silica can be found in more than one state— amorphous as in the remains from a diatom and crystalline as in a quartz crystal. Both are SiO2 , but they are quite different physically. What's more, silica in its crystalline state is found in more than one form. This phenomenon is called polymorphism (literally "many forms"). Silicates constitute the most abundant class of minerals. Geologists regard silicate minerals as the basic materials out of which most rocks are created. We mentioned that the compound silica, which is formed by the chemical reaction of silicon and oxygen, can be either crystalline or non- crystalline. Depending upon the extremes of temperature and pressure it has been subjected to or, in some cases, the speed at which it cooled, a solid can take on different forms. Diatomite, described earlier, and quartz are identical chemically (both SiO2 ) and both are solids at room temperature, but their physical forms-and their internal structures-are very different." "In a crystalline substance (such as quartz), the atoms and molecules make up a three- dimensional repeating pattern.
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