Hello Uncle Cecil,
Just wanted to say I love "The Straight Dope" and to add that when I was a kid my dad used to buy "Buss Bedding" for earthworms. He said that was vermiculite. Is that true and would exposure to it be harmful?
Lanceman
Rochester, N.Y.
Vermiculite was widely used as a soil amendment, insulation, and grill bedding. The vermiculite itself was safe, but some brands were contaminated with asbestos. Generally speaking, unless you were exposed to the asbestos-contaminated variety for long periods of time (years) you are unlikely to suffer any ill effects. Most of the problems have been seen in the towns around the mines and factories where this product was made, and where the air was continuously contaminated for many years.