[Rockhounds] Toxic Minerals and Common Sense

[Jim Daly]

Toxicity is a function of concentration and time of exposure. Almost everything is toxic in high enough concentration and long enough exposure.
  The late Isaac Asimov made that point humerously in a Material Safety Data Sheet for oxygen: "Almost invariably fatal after exposure for more than one century".
  Jim Daly

Axel Emmermann <axel.emmermann at pandora.be> wrote:
  Licking cinnabar likely is much less dangerous than heating it. I wouldn't
make a habit of it though.

Mercury sulfide has a very low solubility in water but even a little heat
can dissociate the mineral in it's components. In the book
/dp/B0006Y44MU/ref=sr_1_2/002-4364605-1319247?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186784838
&sr=1-2> Ultraviolet guide to minerals: A complete working manual for the
use of ultraviolet light in locating and recognizing minerals, including
field identification charts by Sterling Gleason there is a detection method
for Hg that uses heat of a Bunsen burner to evaporate mercury. The idea
behind it is that the vapor blocks SW UV. Placing the flame and specimen
between a UV-source and a willemite screen, the Hg-vapor would cast dark
shadows on the fluorescent screen. Don't try this at home folks.
Minamata-disease is no laughing matter.


There is however a number of minerals that ARE dangerous to the licking
kind: all minerals that contain beryllium.
Beryllium is highly carcinogenic. Even in extremely low doses like in the
so-called 'infinitesimal solutions'.

I would also avoid licking thallium minerals or any primary uranium,
thorium, gallium..... minerals. Also sawing dust of those is very toxic.

Still, aluminum MAY look harmless but continuous exposure to low doses may
cause dementia if I remember correctly. So alum is not really harmless ;-)))

Cheers

Axel








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