I avoid vermiculite because of its horrible history of being tainted with asbestos. Wikipedia states that, nowadays, vermiculite is supposed to be tested for asbestos, but knowing a bit about testing procedures, politics, and greed, I have my doubts. Also, the alleged coverups of previous asbestos-tainted vermiculite scandals raises big red flags. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermiculite and its linked sources for all the unsavory details.

But what about perlite? Are there any health concerns regarding it?

Note that perlite is a non-renewable resource (and thus non-sustainable), so that's not great. Outside of depleting our planet's supply of perlite, are there any issues with using perlite?

I avoid vermiculite because of its horrible history of being tainted with asbestos. Wikipedia states that, nowadays, vermiculite is supposed to be tested for asbestos, but knowing a bit about testing procedures, politics, and greed, I have my doubts. Also, the alleged coverups of previous asbestos-tainted vermiculite scandals raises big red flags. See Wikipedia article - vermiculite and its linked sources for all the unsavory details.

But what about perlite? Are there any health concerns regarding it?

Note that perlite is a non-renewable resource (and thus non-sustainable), so that's not great. Outside of depleting our planet's supply of perlite, are there any issues with using perlite?