Rockwerks Lapidary Forum

Which materials are toxic when worked?

I already list Malachite, Tigereye, and Turritella as being toxic. Are there others?

sea shell products
that's the only one that wasn't listed that came to mind. I would be nice to start a list for new comers, so they don't do things they shouldn't,
Dan

I was told Chrysocola had toxicity in its rough state, but somehow is safer when slabbed? Don't take my word on it, I have not checked for sure. Ivory is toxic as is antler and horn. Coral is very toxic. Turquoise is toxic as well due to the aluminum in it. When it is stabilized turquoise you will get a mean headache quickly when grinding it. The drip system on the cabbing machines tend to keep the dust down. I work lots of ivory and antler for knives on a dremel and belt sander a good respirator is a must. Any rock that glows in the dark is toxic or radio active. Good subject....rock lung....I bet that's like black lung.

Hey all, I never new the shells and antlers were toxic. Can anyone please explain why they are toxic? Thanx.

I doubt that they are toxic, just nauseating when you work them dry.
Tiger Eye is often stated as being toxic because it contains Asbestos. This is not the case. It is a quartz replacement of Asbestos. It is no more toxic than working any Quartz bearing material. If you breathe the dust from working any of this material so that it generates dust, you run the risk of getting Silicosis after many years of doing the activity. Imagine it being like living in the desert in a constant dust storm. How many camels and their riders get silicosis? They are exposed to the same particles (but 24 hours a day) as we are when we work in the dust of doing our lapidary.
I do a lot of dry sanding especially when I do slabs. I always make sure I wear a N95 rated dust mask, though.
I've heard that if you get Malachite (or possibly any Copper bearing material) dust or mud in an open wound that you could get copper poisioning, but I have never seen nor heard of anyone actually getting the poisioning. I've never taken any special precautions in working the material other than wearing rubber gloves to keep my hands from turning black from the mud. It really stains you as you work it, the same as Hematite and Silicon do.
Abalone dust is reported as being toxic but on another forum they stated that there has been no scientific tests that have proven it to be toxic, just very irritating and very nauseating.
Aluminum isn't toxic. If you drink any hard water much of the hardness is caused by Aluminum (and Iron, and Magnesium). You cook with Aluminum pans and drink out of Aluminum cans that contain quite acidic colas.
Turquoise and Chrysocola contain Copper so it may come under the concerns stated above. Indians lapidarys and silversmiths have been working turquoise for more that 100 years (possibly centuries ) with no noted ill effects.
Personally, I don't get very concerned with any of the materials that I work beyond wearing a mask when I work them dry.
Bob

Thanks Bob! Well, I guess nauseating is better than toxic... But I still want to avoid it. I got a respirator mask for use with dry work.
Most of the hardness in the water here in Colo. is calcium. I thought shells (and maybe fingernails!) were made of calcium also which is why I wondered about their toxicity.

From what I can gather the seashell danger is from organic dust shock syndrome, more or less, plain ole clogging of the lungs. Here is some info I found online.

Shells
Fine shell dust irritating; mother of pearl dust causes fevers, pneumonia-like disease Eye and hand injuries from flying shell & sharp edges Use wet grinding & polishing techniques when possible; with dry grinding, wear dust respirator


The most important component of identifying hypersensitivity pneumonitis is recognition of exposure to a causative antigen, reinforcing the importance of a thorough occupational history, and identification of workplace hazards (Box 4).7,12 A temporal relationship between the development of symptoms (cough, fever, chills, dyspnoea, chest tightness and malaise) 4–8 hours after the start of exposure, and an improvement during weekends or vacations, is quite indicative of this condition.4,8 Organic dust toxic syndrome, a form of inhalation fever, may be difficult to differentiate from acute hypersensitivity pneumonitis and is estimated to be 30–50 times more common.12 Organic dust toxic syndrome may result from a single heavy exposure to organic dust, and is self-limiting, with symptoms rarely exceeding 36 hours.

Anyone else have any info?
TTYS
Dan
Dan

I've spent a little time trying to research the "seashell danger" and I see a LOT of conflicting information. People who seem to be going with their feelings say that shells and abalone are toxic. When it comes down to scientific info there is not much mention at all about toxicity except as an inhalation hazard over a long period. (The above mentioned "organic dust toxic syndrome") There seems to be nothing inherently toxic about shells. They are made of calcium carbonate and mother of pearl (nacre), neither of which is toxic. There are even references to people taking nacre as a homeopathic medicine. (Not for me! )
It looks to me like the toxic danger is overblown on shells.

I do wonder about the aluminum content of the rocks. I think aluminum is associated with Alzheimer's disease but don't know if the form of Al in rocks is considered dangerous.

They have found aluminum in the brains of Alzheimers patients but there has been no correlation that it causes Alzheimer's. It appears to be a result of the disease not a causative of the disease. This has been researched extensively. Because Aluminum is everywhere in our environment including the soil, our drinking water, underarm deodorants, cooking and drinking utensils, etc. if it was the cause of Alzheimers, then everyone would have the disease.
Bob

I think people have rocks in their head when it comes to this topic. There are books on the hazards of common art shop materials. Much of the media we work with causes a good deal more than just nausea.
Has anybody ever seen the blue man who started drinking silver