Diatomaceous earth is a naturally-occurring sedimentary rock. It is made from the fossils of diatoms which are a form of algae. DE is available in different grades, and one of these is called food grade. When we think about food, we all think about something to eat. So what is there about a chalky white substance made of algae fossils that would be edible?

Well, to be truthful, it isn't precisely eatable. Some people believe that it's intended to be mixed with water and used to help somebody better absorb the nutrients in the food they eat. It could also be mixed with animal feed to cut manure odor and reduce the quantity of flies. Naturally, the main use of this higher grade of DE is as a filtering agent for the water we drink.

Diatomaceous earth filteration was first used during World War II when it was necessary to filter water for the squaddies. The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development laboratories ( ERDL ) came up with a filter that was both transportable enough for army use and which cleaned the water and made it safe for human consumption. Following the war the material continued to be employed in filters for swimming pools.

You may wonder exactly what else these microscopically-small sea creatures that contribute their skeletons to DE have to do with human consumption. In addition to the filtering of water, this material is used to filter lager, wine, syrup, and sugar. However , 68% of the DE that is mined is used for water filtration. It is fantastic for this purpose, because it can trap particles which will run thru other filtering mediums,eg paper and sand. Since both drinking water and the water in swimming pools is ingested by humans, keeping it as clean as possible is imperative.

We need to be glad that someone had the foresight to use DE in municipal water filtration. When we think about 3rd world countries where people ingest poisoned drinking water and come down with serious sicknesses, we can begin to understand what these filters do for us. DE is considered to be the grass of the sea, because it is eaten by sea creatures much as land animals eat grass. There is also as much of it available as there is grass, so it is a renewable resource that we don't have to worry about using up.
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