Talk:Diatomaceous earth

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Some text in this article has been merged from Kieselguhr. See the history of that page for authorship record.

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Someone might want to put something in here about diatomaceous earth as a pest repellant..

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The sudden usage of the term 'Kieselgur' is somewhat confusing and out of context. Could someone rewrite this to make the connection a little easier to make? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Etherdave (talk • contribs) 20:34, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

Needs expansion

This article should say more about the formation of Diatomaceous earth, as well as where it is found, how it is processed, etc. Zocky 11:21, 9 January 2006 (UTC)

And perhaps a note on its abundance? How much of this stuff is there on earth? mdclxvi 09:02, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

I wonder if there has been any research done on an eventual man-made replacement, since "fossilized remains" are pretty obviously a finite resource. Diggernet (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 22:30, 28 May 2010 (UTC).

need info about diatomites as reservoir rocks. In California alone, they contain billions of barrels of oil. --cmross6 (talk) 17:41, 20 July 2008 (UTC)

It it also one of the ingredients in my bait snare matt paste (hair wax). Probably worth some form of mention in the article that the ingredient can be found in hair products. Timeshift (talk) 08:19, 17 October 2008 (UTC)

Coffin-like?

Diatomaceous earth has a high porosity because it is made of microscopically small coffin-like hollow particles. - I suppose I can kind of imagine that...but coffin-like in what way? The shape of the particles? Mithridates 15:03, 21 February 2006 (UTC)

Well, diatomaceous earth is technically composed of skeletons, which at one point contained dead diatom cytoplasm...maybe it was a pun? -- stillnotelf has a talk page 23:48, 21 February 2006 (UTC)

Do people eat it?

When used as a parasiticide in animals and people, do they have to ingest this stuff? I have seen some of this (I believe) in a convenience store in a VERY rural area and was told by the clerk that people just called it "white dirt" and bought it to eat, I couldn't imagine why at the time.72.242.143.24 23:51, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

It can be spread in a persons yard to kill fleas. Very cheap and effective.

I know that horses have it added to their feed.. AND my roomate and I used it to rid ourselves of bedbugs. VERY effective though it takes a LONG time to clean up and many moppings. (Plus makes you feel rather dry from just being in the environment) 205.233.28.39 20:19, 20 July 2007 (UTC)

Are all sources credited?

Much of the material, most noticeably the line about "The most common use (68%) of diatomaceous earth is as a filter medium, especially for swimming pools." also appears at http://www.amigo-business-centre.com/index_bestanden/Page1017.htm

While it is possible that amigo-business-centre.com got the information from this Wikipedia page, amigo's article seems to be much more complete.

Rich Freedman (talk) 18:46, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

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"bird shit filter" - diatomaceous earth is the washed remains of millions of diatoms eaten by birds and deposited over the millennium usually at the base of cliffs hence the rather nasty sounding name

Need references for the geology section. Skeletons of both fresh and saltwater diatoms are composed of amorphous (noncrystalline) silica. Both types can convert to more crystalline forms of silica depending upon depth of burial. In addition, crystalline silica (eg quartz) may be deposited along with diatoms in both environments. The amount of this cystalline silica detritus depends on the proximity to the paleo shoreline along with relationship to steams, rivers, fans, and other slope deposits. --cmross6 (talk) 17:40, 20 July 2008 (UTC)

Pronounciation

Am I the only one who thought this was pronounced /ˌdaɪatəˈmeɪʃəs ˈɝθ/ or /ˌdaɪatɒˈmeɪʃəs ˈɝθ/ ? — DIV, Melbourne (128.250.80.15 (talk) 04:06, 12 January 2009 (UTC))

Maybe it's a Strine vs. Merican thing. At my end of the world, any unstressed syllable is as likely to be pronounced /ə/ as not.

As a Food Supplement

Some vitamin providers are promoting D.E. as a food supplement. If you read their ads (see www.earthworkshealth.com) it can cure just about everything: arthritis to constipation, skin problems, etc. They sell it as "Food Grade" product for humans & pets.

I can understand how it would be helpful to eliminate insects, but I fear powdering my dogs to eliminate his fleas might be dangerous to his lungs, since I am supposed to =wear a mask when opening the container... —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.163.91.155 (talk) 01:12, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

epidemiological studies

We need epidemiological studies into diatomaceous earth progression inside the lungs of animals and humans. Fiberglass passes through lung tissue and is expelled in the urn. Asbestos is too large in diameter and lodges in lung tissue, and the body attacks it which damages the lung tissue. I found a limited number of references to diatomaceous earth in lung tissue and if others agree, we should cite them. Sponsion (talk) 17:29, 10 July 2010 (UTC)