Potting Mixtures - Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure Risks

Any 'green thumb' will tell you that the right combination of potting mix ingredients can make all the difference in your garden. The proper mixture of nutrient-rich fertilizers can turn a shoddy garden into a vital, beautiful sanctuary where you and your family can relax and enjoy nature. Gardening can be a wonderful, life-enriching hobby, but has its hazards. Too many unfortunate gardeners have learned the hard way that some common potting mixture ingredients can cause more harm than good. Some potting mixtures contain asbestos, a dangerous material that can cause serious illnesses, leaving you and your family unable to enjoy life and the garden you've worked so hard to create.

For many years, some common, readily available minerals known to contain asbestos were used as a fundamental element of popular potting mixtures, used in gardens across the country, in every state from California to Massachusetts. One such ingredient is the mineral vermiculite, which expands into a puffy, white, Styrofoam-like material when treated with heat. In its pure form, vermiculite does not contain asbestos and is widely believed to be harmless, but laboratories and health organization authorities have reported many instances of asbestos tainting impure vermiculite. Countless individuals in countless communities have developed asbestos-related illnesses, such as mesothelioma, as the result of the shipment and use of vermiculite in their region.

Today, authorities acknowledge the dangers of asbestos-tainted vermiculite, and as a result, its use in potting mixtures has decreased. Most mines around the world today test their mineral exports for asbestos; however, in the mid-1990s tons of vermiculite from a large mine in Montana -- minerals which were then sold on the market -- were found to contain asbestos. Much of this asbestos may have been used in potting mixtures that you and your friends or family used in your backyard garden. Though testing for asbestos has become increasingly rigorous, reports as recent as 2001 have alleged that asbestos can still be found in common potting mixtures. According to a national environmental health Web site, the federal law does not prohibit the sale of asbestos-containing potting mixtures.

What does this mean for the gardener who uses potting mixtures in his or her garden, or has lush, potted plants in the living room? The presence of asbestos in your home or garden is hazardous to your family's health. Asbestos fibers are especially dangerous in potting mixtures, because in this application they are more likely to be loose and friable. When disturbed, these asbestos fibers in your potting mixture may lift into the air, where they may be aspirated by you or your loved ones. Whether your face is near the earth in your garden, or you are sitting on the couch near your potted plants, you are not safe if your potting mixture contains asbestos. Worse still, asbestos fibers cannot be seen by the naked eye, making it impossible for you to know if the vermiculite in your soil contains asbestos.

If you have used potting mixture that contains asbestos, you may be at risk of developing serious asbestos-related illnesses. Exposure to asbestos can cause asbestosis, lung-cancer and mesothelioma, among other deadly illnesses caused by asbestos. And because some of these illnesses, such as mesothelioma, can take years or even decades to develop, your health may be in crisis by the time symptoms begin to present. If you or your loved ones have used potting mixtures for your plants, you may be at a serious risk of illness. Please seek the counsel of an experienced asbestos attorney who can defend your rights. Take action today, before it's too late.

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