[Jewelry making - Article 00155] - Re: [Orchid] Recycling investment

[Kim Paluch]

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James,

    I'm sorry. I've been researching these things for a while now, and I
    forget that others are like me, and like to know the basic info. If
    you want to know more, look up crystalline silica (that's the silica
    used...I believe it's safer than some forms of silica, but safer
    doesn't mean safe, harmless, or good garden additive.) 

    Below is one of the MSDS files I have. The problematic portion is
    the silica. It isn't only a problem when breathed in, but also a
    problem when in contact. In minimal amounts of contact, the hazards
    are not so apparent (or numerous). 

    I have about 1000 pages of info on the contents of these products. I
    do not believe ANYONE would want to mix it with water and drink it,
    no matter the concentration. And yet, for many people, that is what
    placing this stuff in the garden would do. Water tables and water
    supplies are easily affected and rarely tested for such things due to
    cost and time it takes for testing. 

    My statements were not intended to imply the products, used as
    advised (with extreme care for respiratory health and safety, minimal
    contact) were imminently dangerous. There are cautions and
    precautions, as with any hazardous chemical. 

    Crystalline silica (used in most, if not all, commonly used
    investments) has very specific hazards and reported hazards. These
    are not things you want in your garden, particularly if you are
    concerned with 'being green' about your jewelry business. 

    Michelle specifically was asking about putting investment in her
    garden, and if this was 'the one last measure her company needed to
    be green'. My answer to her is an emphatic NO! Anyone who is
    concerned about going green, rather than using the words (because it
    sounds good), ought to know this. Heck, everyone ought to know this.
    It's the purpose in me writing my book...because jewelry making
    doesn't have to be one compromise after another for socially and
    environmentally conscious people. 

    Now, in context of our culture, putting your investment into your
    dirt (buried very deep so none blows away and affects neighbors with
    asthma, COPD, etc. when it's brought to surface by natural processes)
    is probably the same as putting insecticides and other chemicals into
    your garden and on your lawn. Some people don't care what the
    environmental effects are. Okay. But if you start telling folks it's
    'green' and more people do it, the area becomes much less safe to
    breathe in (it doesn't mix with the soil and remains respirable
    crystal silica). 

    So, again, I repeat...is it good for your garden, and 'green'? No,
    it isn't, and no it isn't. In fact, as you read the MSDS below (the
    company provides the silica that a good number of investments
    contain), you will see that it's not considered overly dangerous,
    just bad for the lungs (don't breathe it if you can help it) and is
    implicated in autoimmune diseases. Those are the words of the
    company. They just aren't at the top in bold letters to make it easy
    to see. 

Kim


 
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