Close

You must be logged in to love this post! Please sign in:

Close

You must be logged in to follow this post! Please sign in:

Chris K (London, Ont) on 08/21/2009

i also heard that silicon dioxide also works for bed bugs, they walk throught it and it dehydrates them and they die , but i do not know where to find this stuff.
EC: WARNING!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_dioxide

"Inhaling finely divided crystalline silica dust in very small quantities (OSHA allows 0.1 mg/m3) over time can lead to silicosis, bronchitis or (much more rarely) cancer, as the dust becomes lodged in the lungs and continuously irritates them, reducing lung capacities (silica does not dissolve over time). This effect can be an occupational hazard for people working with sandblasting equipment, products that contain powdered crystalline silica and so on. Children, asthmatics of any age, allergy sufferers and the elderly (all of whom have reduced lung capacity) can be affected in much shorter periods of time."

REPLY         

Replied By Karen (Barcelona, Spain) on 09/18/2011

Silicon dioxide is what's in diatomaceous earth... :)
REPLY         

Replied By Xnan (New York, NY) on 08/25/2012

Wrong! This is an irresponsible post! SILICA is in Diatomaceous Earth, NOT Silicon Dioxide!! DE "is almost pure silica (with some beneficial trace minerals); under a microscope, it looks like shards of glass (glass is made from silica). DE is totally nontoxic. There is no buildup of tolerance like there is to poisons because the method of killing is PHYSICAL, not chemical. On any beetle-type insect that has a carapace, like fleas and cockroaches, the DE works under the shell and punctures the body, which then dehydrates and the insect dies. "
REPLY         

Replied By Paul (Lisle, Usa) on 05/01/2013

Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is not crystalline silica. Both are essentialy pure silicon dioxide, but not in the same structure, which makes all the diffence in the world here. DE is made by diatoms and is amorphous. Crystalline silica comes from quartz containing rocks, including sand. The particles do not begin to get dangerous until they get below a few microns in size and are able to get into the lungs.
REPLY