I have heard one person say it is bad to use non-agricultural grade vermiculite. Otherwise, everyone else says it's fine. Folks have even called manufactures that say they only make one product and bag it differently. I would call that manufacturer and ask. Otherwise, heed the bag's warning and find a different one. Oh, and asbestos or whatever hasn't been found in vermiculite for decades.

Good luck!

When in doubt - Grow with out.

Your garden will grow just fine without peat AND vermiculite. Mine does.

The money you saved can be sent to the Gumby fund.

Asbestos isn't toxic in itself.. it is in the form of tiny sharks of crystal (mineral) that when inhaled (or ingested) cut your lungs and air pipes. It's not the asbestos itself poisoning you, it is all the cutting and micro-lacerations it does that exposes your insides to bacteria, germs, infection. The foreign stuff that gets into all those micro lacerations from the asbestos is what infects you and gets you sick\potentially cancerous. Vermiculite is scrutinized and analyzed to make sure the asbestos contained with it is minimal to none. There was one vermiculite mine in Montana that had a high concentration of asbestos with it. That mine is shut down and is a superfund site for cleanup now. Other mined vermiculite is quality-controlled these days to make sure it is safe for people. Good to wear a mask when using it anyway (I should heed my own advice).