Potting Mixtures
Gardening is a favorite hobby of many individuals, including both men and women. For many, having a beautiful garden is a symbol of pride. These avid gardeners also know that there’s more that goes into gardening than choosing pretty flowers. It’s also essential to choose the right chemicals, fertilizer, and potting mixtures for your flower bed.
Unfortunately, some gardeners got more than they bargained for when they selected a particular potting mixture. Some potting mixtures – many, in fact – contain vermiculite. Vermiculite is a natural mineral that expands with the application of heat. Vermiculite allows soil to hold more water, therefore improving the health of plants. However, through the years, it has been discovered that vermiculite is sometimes tainted with asbestos. Therefore, some potting mixtures once contained dangerous asbestos.
Though some potting mixtures still contain vermiculite, more attention is now given to making sure the vermiculite is not contaminated with asbestos. Nevertheless, those who worked with vermiculite-containing potting mixtures in the past may have been exposed to asbestos particles and may have inhaled asbestos dust while working in their garden.
In addition, individuals who worked for companies that manufactured and bagged potting mixtures with tainted vermiculite were also exposed to asbestos fibers. Throughout the years, many of these workers have developed serious pulmonary illnesses, such as asbestosis and mesothelioma.
In particular, large amounts of contaminated vermiculite came from a mine in tiny Libby, Montana, a town where hundreds have already been sickened by or have died from exposure to asbestos-tainted vermiculite. Much of the Libby vermiculite made its way into a variety of products before information about the dangers of the mineral were released. However, research shows that mine owners, asbestos product manufacturers, and others in charge often knew about the dangers of asbestos but didn’t divulge the information. Because of that, many individuals who used potting mixtures containing vermiculite have gotten sick.
These days, those who’ve been exposed to asbestos are beginning to step up and say “This isn’t fair!” Asbestos victims are beginning to make asbestos manufacturers and others take responsibility for their illnesses by lodging lawsuits against these manufacturers, who often knew that they were placing their employees in danger. More and more often, those with legitimate asbestos cancer are winning their cases.
If you have mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos-contaminated potting mixtures, you might also be eligible for monetary compensation. For more information about your legal rights, order our free mesothelioma resource packet.
Last modified: October 15 2008.
