| Description: | Discussions around asbestos and the health problems it causes have started incorporating discussions of vermiculite as well. So, what is vermiculite?
Vermiculite is a naturally occurring substance. It is mined from the ground like many other ore oriented commodities. The material looks like small flakes of mica pebbles. It is generally lacking in any unique characteristics, but it does something very interesting when heat is introduced.
Vermiculite reacts to heat in an odd way. It expands. Not just expands, but EXPANDS! It will grow in size by a factor of 8 to 30 times the original size. On top of this, the material is also heat and fire resistant. If these characteristics sound somewhat familiar, then they should. The heat and fire resistant nature of vermiculite is similar to what is found with asbestos, but not on as effective a scale.
Vermiculite is not, in and of itself, a material that is considered to carry any health risks as we see with asbestos. Then why does the |
