Alpo Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 When I was a kid that's what was put in the bottom of the grill, to keep the heat from the charcoal from damaging the bottom of the metal grill. The coals sat on a bed of vermiculite, and the heat only rose to cook the food. It didn't burn out the bottom of the grill. Nowadays it seems that charcoal grills have another metal grate, that sets in the bottom of the grill and holds the fire up off the bottom. The only use I can find nowadays for vermiculite is to mix with your gardening soil. Everything says that it used to be used in insulation, but it's got asbestos in it, so they don't use it anymore. But if it has asbestos in it, would it be dangerous to start a fire on top of it? Would that relief asbestos into the atmosphere, where you could inhale it and thereby give yourself lung cancer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyesa Horg Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 14 minutes ago, Alpo said: But if it has asbestos in it, would it be dangerous to start a fire on top of it? Would that relief asbestos into the atmosphere, where you could inhale it and thereby give yourself lung cancer That's why you should chew your food thoroughly and not inhale it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 Good question. I am not familiar with Vermiculite. I don’t recall if I have ever seen it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 From wikipedia Quote Asbestos contamination[edit] Although not all vermiculite contains asbestos, some products were made with vermiculite that contained asbestos until the early 1990s.[9] Vermiculite mines throughout the world are now regularly tested for it and are supposed to sell products that contain no asbestos. The former vermiculite mine in Libby, Montana, did have tremolite asbestos as well as winchite and richterite (both fibrous amphiboles)—in fact, it was formed underground through essentially the same geologic processes as the contaminants. Pure vermiculite does not contain asbestos and is non-toxic. Impure vermiculite may contain, apart from asbestos, also minor diopside or remnants of the precursor minerals biotite or phlogopite. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyesa Horg Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 22 minutes ago, Pat Riot said: Good question. I am not familiar with Vermiculite. I don’t recall if I have ever seen it. A lot of potting soils use it. It looks kinda like accordioned mica in eighth inch little squares. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Riot Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 20 minutes ago, Eyesa Horg said: A lot of potting soils use it. It looks kinda like accordioned mica in eighth inch little squares. I have seen that. Thanks very much. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rip Snorter Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 Dad died of Mesothelioma from asbestos, not a good way to go. Either gotten from his Navy service or a very old hospital building complex he worked in for some years. The stuff is safe enough when contained but when particles are in the air, it can be a significant threat. Countless old buildings have asbestos from shingles to pipe or other insulation. Many remain because removal is costly and dangerous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 I've never heard of putting vermiculite in the bottom of a grill before. You'll be replacing it every time you use the grill. Back when I was in junior college we used it in the pottery, glassblowing, and metal sculpture classes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. C.J. Sabre, SASS #46770 Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 26 minutes ago, Rip Snorter said: Countless old buildings have asbestos from shingles to pipe or other insulation. Many remain because removal is costly and dangerous. Many old homes also have it in floor tiles. I understand that they were usually a 9" X 9" tile. These were used into the 1960s. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cypress Sun Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 41 minutes ago, Eyesa Horg said: A lot of potting soils use it. It looks kinda like accordioned mica in eighth inch little squares. I used to see it a lot in commercial construction as insulation inside of hollow concrete block walls. It was more like little (1/8" mol) Styrofoam type balls that filled the cells in hollow block construction. Never failed, drill a 1 1/4 hole into the block for a pipe and the vermiculite "blood" comes pouring out. Never seemed like there was anything available to plug the hole with anywhere to be found. Never even knew about it being hazardous until much later in my career as an electrician. A lot of older houses in Florida had, or have, the old asbestos shingle type exterior wall coverings. Drilling a 1/4 hole in them for strapping/securing items to the wall is always an adventure. Plan on going through drill bits. Larger holes, don't use a wood type hole saw, it'll just burn then up. As to the question, microscopic cancer inducing fibers from dust/etc. will remain imbedded in the lungs for many years just waiting for a "trigger", like tobacco use, to come along. The fibers, along with the trigger, induce cancerous cells to the lungs. Mesothelioma is the most common although there are many other ailments/cancers that have their base roots in asbestos. The problem with asbestos related diseases is they are cumulative, over a long period of time, and not immediately recognized as the culprit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 35 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said: You'll be replacing it every time you use the grill. Why? It doesn't burn up. We lit the coals and we cooked the steaks, and we'd let the coals die out and they turned into powder. And the vermiculite was there the next time we wanted to cook. And it now had a layer of ash on top of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-BAR #18287 Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 I worked summers at a lumberyard from '62 to '65. We sold and delivered a lot of vermiculite for attic insulation. Messy stuff when a bag broke open unexpectedly. I played with asbestos siding scraps in a vacant lot, creating towns for model cars. I guess I am doomed. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyesa Horg Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 Clutches and brake shoes back in the day had asbestos too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 4 hours ago, Alpo said: Why? It doesn't burn up. We lit the coals and we cooked the steaks, and we'd let the coals die out and they turned into powder. And the vermiculite was there the next time we wanted to cook. And it now had a layer of ash on top of it. You don't clean out the ash and grease? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpo Posted April 12 Author Share Posted April 12 Grease? Grease drips down from the cooking meat, lands on the coals, catches fire, burns away. What grease? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 10 minutes ago, Alpo said: Grease? Grease drips down from the cooking meat, lands on the coals, catches fire, burns away. What grease? You must buy a leaner cut than I buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Eagle Posted April 13 Share Posted April 13 Heat treating facilities use it frequently to slow cool parts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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