In article ,
H Hornblower wrote:

I tried to purchase a bag of vermiculite in a store in Ohio
yesterday. The clerk said they didn't carry it anymore because it was
illegal. Any truth to this?
I remember something a while back about prolonged exposure and
cancer risk but it wasn't garden related.

My mom, a lifelong nurseryman, has COPD now. She's on oxygen 24/7,
since age 74. She's 78 now.

The MD's think it's because of lifelong exposure to vermiculite
in her greenhouses.

She never smoked and was never around smokers. She's an RN.

I still use vermiculite in my potting mix (Cornell mix, same as my mom
always used) but am careful to not breathe around it. Don't know why, as
I'm a smoker.

Since we don't have health care for poor people in this country, I'm
going to die young, so may as well drink and smoke and not worry about
it. The govt. doesn't give a shit about anyone who's poor and votes
democrat anyway. If we can't kick major bucks to the Repub's, no one
gives a shit about us, so we die.

Jan