Silica gel is glass with nanometer-sized pores in it. Bottle glass has additional additives that lower its melting point and increase its solubility (oxides of sodium and calcium).
The EU has irrationally banned all sorts of things since the witch-burners have seized control of the government apparatus. Borate fire retardants and fertilizers is one of my favorite examples.
Nanometer-sized pores matter enormously, which is why we make silica gel in the first place, but not in ways that make other forms of amorphous silica more toxic than silica gel.
I'm not dismissing research that disagrees with me as witch-burning. I'm dismissing people who disagree with literally all the research.
The EU has irrationally banned all sorts of things since the witch-burners have seized control of the government apparatus. Borate fire retardants and fertilizers is one of my favorite examples.