Talk:Diatomaceous earth
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Untitled
Some text in this article has been merged from Kieselguhr. See the history of that page for authorship record.
Someone might want to put something in here about diatomaceous earth as a pest repellant..
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)
Section 2.4 uses a link that is mere opinion, not remotely creditable. I can't find anything that supports that claim at all using google. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.90.123.177 (talk) 08:12, 17 June 2011 (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)
A lot of people eat this stuff... it is considered to be healthy by many, not just in rural areas. i am suprrised this article does not mention it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 132.205.103.68 (talk • contribs) 00:34, 26 February 2013
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)
"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.
[aside - We need this type of statement for diatomaceous earth that explains its impact on human and animal lungs: 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)
Awful source.
Source 9 is currently a garbage source. Suggest http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~fieldspg/fields/de-test-p.pdf, which contains the same information (explanation of how DE kills insects) 68.30.168.158 (talk) 20:35, 22 July 2011 (UTC)
- Agreed. More significantly, however, the Wikipedia article doesn't even summarize that "garbage source" accurately. Reading the reference suggested above, I note that its explanation of the mechanism by which diatomaceous earth kills insects is at odds with the usual explanation, to wit, that it abrades (not absorbs) the waxy layer preventing water loss through the insect exoskeleton. I won't even hazard a guess which explanation is correct without further research, so for the moment will leave the article untouched.Floozybackloves (talk) 02:50, 9 December 2011 (UTC)
File:Diatomaceous Earth BrightField.jpg to appear as POTD soon
Hello! This is a note to let the editors of this article know that File:Diatomaceous Earth BrightField.jpg will be appearing as picture of the day on March 2, 2012. You can view and edit the POTD blurb at Template:POTD/2012-03-02. If this article needs any attention or maintenance, it would be preferable if that could be done before its appearance on the Main Page so Wikipedia doesn't look bad. :) Thanks! —howcheng {chat} 18:04, 29 February 2012 (UTC)
| Picture of the day | |
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Diatomaceous earth – a naturally occurring, soft, siliceous sedimentary rock made up of the cell walls/shells of single cell diatoms – as viewed under bright field illumination on a light microscope. The primary uses of diatomaceous earth are for cleaning (scouring), filtration, heat-resistive insulation and as an inert absorbent substrate. |
Fulling/filling
A recent edit suggests that "filling", not "fulling", was meant. Diatomaceous earth can be used for filtration in a way similar to fuller's earth (which was originally used for fulling wool); this might be the source of confusion. In the context of the article, I think "filtering" was what was meant.--Curtis Clark (talk) 18:25, 7 September 2012 (UTC)
- Although diatomaceous earth can be used for filtering, I think "filling" makes much more sense in the context of the sentence. Paints, soaps and detergents typically need some type of inert material in their formulations to adjust properties such as viscosity, texture, etc. Deli nk (talk) 18:52, 7 September 2012 (UTC)
- Although I see your point, in the context of that section it makes no sense. Since it is unsourced, I've removed it.--Curtis Clark (talk) 02:53, 9 September 2012 (UTC)
Change of absorption to adsorption
I suggest changing all occurences of the word "absorption" to "adsorption" because adsorption is taking place in all the described processes. Adsorption = binding of liquid/gas on the surface of sorbent, while absorption = taking up a substance into the volume of sorbent. Vlachj (talk) 04:43, 2 March 2013 (UTC)
