- The process creates 37 cubic foot of wool from 1 cubic foot of rocks.Recycle Logo The Bigger Picture image by Sophia Winters from Fotolia.com
Natural basalt rock and chalk are melted into lava at 1,600 degrees Celsius. The molten material is then blown into a large, spinning chamber, which transforms it into long, fibrous stands, much like cotton candy. It is an eco-friendly process that produces a material that is chemically and biologically inert and clean of plant pathogens. - Rockwool dust can irritate skin and eyes. Take precautions and wear gloves and goggles.goggles image by Roman Sigaev from Fotolia.com
The dust from rockwool can be a skin irritant. George F. Van Patten and Alyssa F. Bust, authors of "Gardening Indoors With Rockwool," advise handling rockwool with gloves, keeping it away from children and animals, and washing clothing after working with it. - Rockwool does not pose the danger that other insulation material does.green cells 3 image by chrisharvey from Fotolia.com
Although it can never hurt to use caution, it is important to know that rockwool fibers are single monofilament strands and, unlike asbestos, they do not split into ultra-thin fibrils that can penetrate cell walls within the body. Rockwool fibers are short and thick, so the body can easily discharge and dissolve them.
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