Recently I've read posts of playsand having crystalline silica, which according to ehow is a substance which causes cancer.
According to what I've understood from what I've read (which may not be very accurate), a manufacturer of a kind of playsand recommend keeping the playsand moist as a safety precaution.
Another source says that beach sand does not have a concern as big as playsand because the particles of sand are bigger, so they are as easily inhaled as playsand.
So what I am wondering are as follow:
1. In the process of unpacking the playsand and washing it till I put it in a tank filled with water, am I facing the threat of breathing crystalline silica (and stepping towards cancer)?
2. Would the more expensive aquarium sand which aren't made for saltwater nor "reef tanks" as described in the Sand faq (stickied) be free of crystalline silica?
3. As the manufacture recommends keeping the playsand moist as a safety precaution, after I put the whole bag of playsand in a tank filled with water, would I be safe from breathing crystalline silica?
4. If the tank with my turtle has playsand as substrate (which is obviously wet because of the water) would my turtle be exposed to this danger whether the water is cloudly from sand or after the sand has settled?
5. Lastly, if I make a nesting area for the turtle which uses playsand, would I and/or the turtle be exposed to crystalline silica because of the playsand being dry? (let's assume for a second that the turtle doesn't bring a drop of water to the nesting area, as even if it does, the nesting area can't possibly be fully dry)
I really appreciate anyone who takes their time to solve my questions. And since my comprehension skills are horrible, I may have misintepreted others on the web, so do correct me if I'm wrong, thanks!
