Food grade Diatomaceous Earth

[sloguy]

The Perma-Guard website has this to say about it:
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"Diatomaceous Earth used in pool (any water) filtration contains Diatomaceous Earth that has been chemically treated and heated making the silica crystalline which is a dangerous respiratory hazard and lethal if ingested. The fresh water naturally occurring Diatomaceous Earth deposits that are designated "Food Grade" by the FDA have less than 1% crystalline silica and all other sediment that are considered unsafe are also below harmful limits. These deposits are primarily Amorphous Silica which is harmless when ingested and is commonly used in feed and food industries."
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The difference is that Food Grade D.E. is fresh water diatoms that resemble little perforated cylinders under the microscope and most pool grade D.E. is processed salt water diatoms that resemble pieces of microscopic glass snowflakes crushed to the required size fragments. Pool Grade D.E. will interlock to form a very good filter bed.

Food grade D.E. does not interlock like pool grade and will not form a filter bed. It is finer and rounder than a sand filter will stop so it slides on through and clouds up the pool.

If you have both types of D.E., be sure to keep them separate and well labeled, and above all DON'T BREATH THE DUST and dispose of it properly.

 

[Patrick_B]

Welcome to the Forum!

Funny you should mention this, we just had a member try it out and taught us the lesson he learned the hard way.

We really appreciate his efforts though. :lol: so-i-added-some-de-to-my-sand-filter-ugh-t69500.html

 

[sloguy]

There is a tendency to think of food grade D.E. as being inspected or "kosher" and pool grade as being a lower quality, maybe not as white or the big box (discount) version. Unfortunately, the processing pool grade D.E. goes through basically turns it into a porcelain like material. If your eat pool grade instead of food grade, it is the equivalent to ingesting miniature shards of glass instead of miniature pebbles. If you abrade your intestines, you would bleed and the bacteria in your gut could enter the blood stream causing sepsis, or perhaps the Pool Grade D.E. could enter the blood stream like asbestos.

Food Grade D.E. is a special type of natural diatomaceous earth. Pool Grade D.E. is an industrial furnace product that uses diatomaceous earth as its major ingredient in a high temperature conversion process. These light weight powders share the same name which is confusing.

So why haven't we heard about this before? Farmers have used Food Grade D.E. as an additive in livestock feed to control insects during feed storage, and gardeners have used it as a non toxic insecticide dust. Drug companies use it in manufacturing. The Army started using pool grade D.E. for potable water treatment during World War II, and pool owners have been using it for half a century in their filters. Now, there are people on the internet who are recommending Food Grade D.E. as a home remedy. If you search for Diatomaceous Earth on YouTube, you will find many pages of listings for videos on the subject. Some are more credible than others, but the reader should be aware of the trend and make sure the family is educated about both kinds of D.E. Keeping your D.E. secure is always a good idea!