DE Dangers?

Hi,

How careful do I need to be when handling DE? Gloves? Mask for nose? Goggles? None of the above?

thanks,
jd

none of the above...

Not exactly true, you really want to be careful not to breath in the dust -- it is really bad for the lungs. When the stuff is wet there are no concerns, but the dry dust is bad.

any precautions to take or just hold my breath around it?

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Originally Posted by vinouspleasure

any precautions to take or just hold my breath around it?

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Actually, this is just what I do...:)

wow I just read up on this a little...my pool guy told me it was completely safe and not to worry. It does contain silica ...so yes it is a dust hazard.

To be completey safe when handling pool chemicals you should be wearing goves, eye protection and a resperator when working with muriatic acid, chlorine, and DE but none of us really do. Commen sense is the key. A paper resperator mask is not a bad idea when handling dry DE powder.

Common sense rules.

Don't use it when it's very windy. Try to fill up your measure slowly. Pour it into the skimmer slowly so it doesn't dust up. Don't rush.

My mother used to use the DE my dad had for their filter to kill the ant colonies around the pool. She'd sprinkle it where they were and they'd disappear.

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Originally Posted by CarlD

My mother used to use the DE my dad had for their filter to kill the ant colonies around the pool. She'd sprinkle it where they were and they'd disappear.

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Carl,
You serious?? I have a ton of ant colonies in the backyard and those ant bait things aren't doing the trick. Perhaps sprinkling some DE will...

DE is sold for ants & such (at very high prices compared to pool DE, check at any HD or Lowes). DE works (like Boric Acid powder, which is also sold to do the same thing) on bugs because it cuts through the exoskeleton and causes the critters to "bleed" to death. DE, though small, is very sharp, especially if you are very small.

Works great on carpenter ants. Drill holes where they are and spray in some DE or Boric Acid.

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Originally Posted by tphaggerty

DE is sold for ants & such (at very high prices compared to pool DE, check at any HD or Lowes).

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So sometimes the pool store chems are the best deal!

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Originally Posted by Bleach=Chlorine?

Carl,
You serious?? I have a ton of ant colonies in the backyard and those ant bait things aren't doing the trick. Perhaps sprinkling some DE will...

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Yeah, she said it worked great!

If you google diatomaceous earth ants you will find several links that describe it's use to kill ants. here is one
http://www.hydromall.com/happy_grower16.html