Why Gardeners and Farmers may Want to Double-Check Their Soil

Does potting soil contain asbestos? The short answer is maybe.

Use caution in selecting your gardening products, and consider avoiding older products or those from vendors you have doubts about.

Some people have house plants that they nourish like family members while others joke that a plant wouldn’t survive in their presence. But according to National Geographic, there’s no mistaking that “urban gardening” has been steadily rising in popularity over the past 3 decades.

Whether you have a green thumb or know someone who does, you’ve probably seen bags of potting soil in your lifetime. But what you may not have considered is that there could be any inherent risk to using it.

A number of potting soils contain minerals known to have been contaminated with asbestos. Pouring one of these potting soils could potentially send asbestos fibers airborne.

Asbestos is a mineral that was widely used in industry, but is known to cause significant health problems, including breathing diseases like asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.

If you may have been exposed to asbestos, speak with your healthcare provider about tests and screening to help detect the presence of asbestos fibers and asbestos-related diseases.

Is there any asbestos in potting soil?

Potting soil is most often a mix of:

Organic materials, like compost or animal manure;
Inorganic materials, like perlite or sand; and
Fertilizers or other additives.

National Geographic recently looked into the different types of materials used for potting soil. Potting soil, believe it or not, does not always contain any dirt or soil from the earth. Rather, different materials and additives are often combined to give plants a healthy environment to grow in. The combination is usually sterile, so it doesn’t contain microorganisms that cause fungus or other disease for plants.

So, how could asbestos get into potting soil?

The mineral vermiculite – often used to aerate gardening soil – is often found with significant asbestos mineral formations.

Vermiculite is a naturally occurring mineral that is frequently used in gardening because it helps aerate soil. It does not rot or mold, and helps plants retain moisture and nutrients. Vermiculite has a shiny, flaky appearance in its natural form, but puffs up and appears duller after being heated. It was once often used in construction materials like insulation, just like a certain other mineral we are familiar with (asbestos).

Asbestos-tainted Vermiculite in Libby, Montana

Since vermiculite and asbestos are both naturally occurring minerals that are mined for use, it is possible to mine them together while only intending to mine vermiculite.

Would I be able to tell if my potting soil is contaminated with asbestos?

By now, most people are aware that encountering asbestos can be dangerous for your health. The mineral, once reigning in popularity in various products, has been proven to be a carcinogen that can contribute to a variety of health conditions and even fatal diseases.

Asbestos fibers have no smell or taste, and many can only be seen with an electron microscope.

Though asbestos has many properties, a distinct smell is not one of them. Its fibers are also microscopic and therefore undetectable with the naked eye. This is also why it is so easy to inhale or ingest asbestos once the fibers are released into the air, because you likely may not even realize you’re doing it.

Asbestos diseases usually take many decades to appear.

According to the American Lung Association, once asbestos fibers enter the body, some of them never leave. Instead they embed in bodily tissue,

The importance of proper testing for asbestos

If you’re ever in doubt about whether or not you are dealing with asbestos, in potting soil or anywhere else, we’ve covered different methods of asbestos testing here.

Do You Qualify For Compensation?

Quickly and easily find out how you were exposed by searching W.A.R.D., the largest asbestos database on the planet.

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The three main categories of asbestos exposure:

Occupational asbestos exposure
Second-hand asbestos exposure (secondary asbestos exposure)
Environmental asbestos exposure

Asbestos-contaminated soil and water are 2 examples of environmental exposure. This is exposure to asbestos that does not come from your job (occupational) or from spending significant time with someone else who was exposed and brought fibers home (secondary).

Remember, if you have concerns about potential asbestos exposure from your product and are not able to get it professionally tested, the safest route would be to switch products.

AsbestosClaims.Law

For Justinian C. Lane, getting compensation for asbestos victims is personal.

Justinian’s grandparents and his father all worked with asbestos in their younger years and died from asbestos-related cancers in their later years.

At the time of each of their deaths, no one in Justinian’s family knew that they were eligible to file an asbestos lawsuit and to seek compensation from the asbestos trusts.

Because no one in Justinian’s family knew their options, they never received any compensation for the death of their loved ones.

If you believe that you or your family member’s injury was related to asbestos exposure, you could be entitled to significant compensation.

This is money you could use to cover the costs of asbestos removal services, pay for medical treatment, and preemptively protect your physical well-being.

There are also asbestos trusts that offer compensation much more quickly and easily (without filing a lawsuit.)

If you’d like help with filing a claim, please get in touch by email at [email protected], or call or text us at (833) 4-ASBESTOS (427-2378) or (206) 455-9190. We’ll listen to your story and explain your options. And we never charge for anything unless you receive money in your pocket.

In addition to legal claims, veterans disability, social security and employment protection like workers compensation, FELA and The Jones Act for maritime workers, there are asbestos trusts that have been set up to compensate those harmed by asbestos without having to file a lawsuit.

There is no risk or cost to speak with one of our staff about your asbestos litigation. There are no fees unless you receive money.

If you have any additional questions or concerns related to asbestos, check out our website and YouTube page for videos, infographics and answers to your questions about asbestos, including health and safety, asbestos testing, removing asbestos from your home and building, and legal information about compensation for asbestos injuries.

Introducing the largest database of asbestos information on the planet.

W.A.R.D., which stands for the Worldwide Asbestos Research Database, helps clients to narrow down when and where they may have been exposed, as well as which products may still contain asbestos. W.A.R.D. will also help indicate compensation types and how much a person may be entitled to.

1 https://www.lung.org/clean-air/at-home/indoor-air-pollutants/asbestos