Is There Really that much of a Difference in DE Products?

Anyone who lumps all Diatomaceous Earth types together without talking about the differences in crystalline and non-crystalline silica is not only doing you a disservice, but also has not done their homework. Because diatoms form in any water and sometimes even on land, their diversity is unmatched. Due to this, one can find himself or herself using a low quality DE or one that can be very harmful to their animals. Because of water currents, most deposits of diatoms can be very impure, some even dangerous. There are over 25,000 varieties of diatoms, having different sizes and shapes. The mineral content of the deposits vary a great deal, as water currents mix all kinds of foreign materials.

The filtration DE used for pools or other water filtration is a larger mill and is crystalline silica which can cause lung and gut problems or death. It has been heated and the silica becomes a solid.

Food Grade DE used as a feed additive is amorphous silica that is an important trace mineral and is safe. In the shape of a cylinder with tiny holes, it is absorbent. Hardness is also a concern because many if not most DE deposits are inferior. Many are softer and therefore won’t be nearly as effective.

Perma-Guard DE has a hardness factor of 7 on a scale that puts a diamond at a 9. This hardness factor and shape of this particular diatom gives it the quality that allows it to be used for many purposes. West of the Mississippi, there are over 600 deposits of DE -- the vast majorities are useless. In fact, Perma-Guard only knows of four deposits that meet the FDA requirements to be called "Food Grade." So even if it says "Food Grade" on the package, that doesn’t mean it is the highest quality. In fact, most are inferior due mostly to impurities or hardness.

International Agricultural Laboratories, Inc physicist, Carey Reams says in summary, "All of the elements in Perma-Guard DE are so enjoined into either a cheated or colloidal form until they appear to work in unison with each other rather than as individual elements. Thinking of them as individual elements is quite misleading. None of these elements found in Basic Perma-Guard are considered poisonous."