Kazimiera
01-04-2015, 12:24 PM
Killer Minerals: The world's 10 Most Deadly Minerals
Source: http://www.geologyin.com/2015/01/killer-minerals-worlds-10-most-deadly.html
Precious minerals make the modern world go 'round—they're used in everything from circuit boards to tableware. They're also some of the most toxic materials known to science, and excavating them has proved so dangerous over the years, some have been phased out of industrial production altogether. Listed below are the 10 most deadly minerals on earth. These rocks do not need to be thrown to hurt you!!
Chalcanthite
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oe69A_Ivufo/VKe6imvdGOI/AAAAAAAADeo/di1UKsV_YtA/s1600/_00961.JPG
Chalcanthite (hydrated copper sulphate) is the bright blue mineral grown from solution in science labs and home chemical kits. Chalcanthite should never be taste tested by amateur scientists for salt content, or an extremely serious overdose of copper could result. Just releasing crystals of the blue mineral has killed entire ponds of algae, and posed great environmental threats. . It is water soluble and will crystallise out again from solution. The copper in this mineral is very bio-available and is toxic to plants and in high quantities toxic to humans.
Hutchinsonite
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M3xzzmzUis8/VKe8wP2FI0I/AAAAAAAADe0/_8RGxn-POtc/s1600/hutchinsoniteE_2.jpg
Hutchinsonite is a sulfosalt mineral of thallium, arsenic and lead with formula (Tl,Pb)2As5S9. Hutchinsonite is a hazardous but dramatic mixture of thallium, lead and arsenic. Is a rare sulphosalt mineral that requires handling with great care as all three of its main components are poisonous particularly thallium as it can cause hair loss, serious illness and death. The three poisonous metals form a lethal mineral cocktail that should be handled only with great caution.
Galena
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hMXKOtQgnrw/VKe-7JCxR-I/AAAAAAAADfI/ZfmfNd7uB4s/s1600/Baryte-Galena-Pyrite-203072.jpg
Galena with baryte and pyrite
Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. Galena is the principle ore of lead, and forms glistening silver cubes with almost unnaturally perfect shapes. Although lead is normally extremely flexible, the sulfur content of galena makes it extraordinarily brittle and reactive to chemical treatment. It's not as bad as mercury, which will kill you immediately outright, but lead doesn't get flushed out of your system. It accumulates over the years, eventually reaching toxic levels. Once that happens both you and your kids pay the price, as lead toxicity is carcinogenic to you and is teratogenic (causing severe birth defects) to your offspring.
Asbestos
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EXpPrftmQ4k/VKfG_aEGJxI/AAAAAAAADfY/iviexApicxI/s1600/asbestos_piece.jpg
Asbestos is not one mineral but six defined separate minerals. One being a serpentine (chrysotile) and the other five being amphiboles (crocidolite, grunerite (amosite), tremolite, anthophyllite and actinolite). Unlike the other minerals in the top 10 deadliest. It was once widely used for a variety of commercial and industrial applications thanks to its strong, fire-resistant, and flexible nature—from ceiling tiles and roofing materials to flooring and thermal insulation.
Torbernite
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UdVoOlu1rnM/VKfIk7cZ57I/AAAAAAAADfk/qNhM1C-vUkY/s1600/cp07-20.jpg
Torbernite is the mineral from hell. The prism shaped green crystals form as secondary deposits in granitic rocks, and are composed of uranium. Formed through a complex reaction between phosphorous, copper, water and uranium, the stunning crystal displays have seduced many mineral collectors into taking a sample for a shelf collection. The mineral is radioactive and emits the cancer forming radon gas. This is one mineral you do not want on your display cabinet shelf.
Erionite
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vxruPFqOEpw/VKfJgDh_oqI/AAAAAAAADfs/0UHQWh-oFGI/s1600/Erionite-348877.jpg
Erionite (NaK2MgCa1.5)[Al8Si28]O72 28H2O) is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral that belongs to a group of minerals called zeolites. It usually is found in volcanic ash that has been altered by weathering and ground water. It looks a lot like asbestos minerals and harms humans much in the same way: mesothelioma. It's primarily an industry-specific disease—or at least it was, until we realized that it caused super-cancer and stopped mining the stuff in the late 1980s.
Cinnabar
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ivzuj1mTS-Y/VKfLIued_OI/AAAAAAAADf4/qoob_b4tpgE/s1600/cinnabar33451f.jpg
Cinnabar (mercury sulphide - HgS) is the single most toxic mineral to handle on earth. It is the world’s main source of mercury and has been mined since Neolithic times. However, when oxidized, this element will produce methyl mercury and dimethyl mercury, two toxic compounds that cause irreparable harm to the nervous systems of children. It is deadly in small concentrations and can be absorbed through the respiratory tract, intestines, or skin. Even more incredibly, some ancient medical practitioners believed cinnabar held healing powers, and prescribed it for certain conditions.
Phenacite
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z7fp3jXrjmA/VKfMkB8WPgI/AAAAAAAADgE/ROkRMOq5nu4/s1600/Phenakite-22977.jpg
Phenacite is a fairly rare nesosilicate mineral consisting of beryllium orthosilicate, Be2SiO4. Phenacite is mined both as a gemstone and for its valuable beryllium content. Beryllium was once a precursor for many ceramic materials, until people figured out that inhaling Beryllium dust caused berylliosis—aka chronic beryllium disease. It's like silicosis but much more severe and also chronic. You don't recover from CBD simply by minimizing your berrylium exposure. Once you have it, you have it for life. Basically what happens is the lungs become hyper-sensitive to berrylium, which causes an allergic reaction wherein the lungs from little nodules called granulomas. These granulomas make breathing extremely difficult and can go on to instigate diseases like tuberculosis.
Stibnite
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mY_HprmDYr0/VKfObbcMDcI/AAAAAAAADgQ/qId5kOOGMxI/s1600/Barite-Stibnite-tmu27c.jpg
Stibnite is a sulfide mineral with the formula Sb2S3. For that reason, the huge, shining metallic crystals of this unstable compound were once fashioned into magnificent eating utensils. But the sword shaped crystals bore the powers of death to those who used them. Handling of this metalloid mineral can cause poisoning.
Hydroxyapatite
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WXjVA_cQqnc/VKfQ0HP-X6I/AAAAAAAADgc/Ol23YmNUbFY/s1600/l0fjz9rc8lpsdfcmt5dm.jpg
Hydroxyapatite (Ca5(PO4)3(OH)2 is a naturally occurring mineral form of calcium apatite. The phosphorous in your garden fertilizer and fluoride in your tap water very likely came from a rock like this, called Apatite. These phosphate minerals come in three varieties, each respectively containing elevated levels of OH, F, or Cl ions—the Hydroxyapatite version being a major component of your tooth enamel and the Fluorapatite version constituting what's dumped into civic water supplies to prevent cavities. And while having strong teeth and bones is a good thing, exposure to Hydroxyapatite (either by mining or processing it) will deposit those same minerals on your heart valves, effectively petrifying them.
Source: http://www.geologyin.com/2015/01/killer-minerals-worlds-10-most-deadly.html
Precious minerals make the modern world go 'round—they're used in everything from circuit boards to tableware. They're also some of the most toxic materials known to science, and excavating them has proved so dangerous over the years, some have been phased out of industrial production altogether. Listed below are the 10 most deadly minerals on earth. These rocks do not need to be thrown to hurt you!!
Chalcanthite
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Oe69A_Ivufo/VKe6imvdGOI/AAAAAAAADeo/di1UKsV_YtA/s1600/_00961.JPG
Chalcanthite (hydrated copper sulphate) is the bright blue mineral grown from solution in science labs and home chemical kits. Chalcanthite should never be taste tested by amateur scientists for salt content, or an extremely serious overdose of copper could result. Just releasing crystals of the blue mineral has killed entire ponds of algae, and posed great environmental threats. . It is water soluble and will crystallise out again from solution. The copper in this mineral is very bio-available and is toxic to plants and in high quantities toxic to humans.
Hutchinsonite
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M3xzzmzUis8/VKe8wP2FI0I/AAAAAAAADe0/_8RGxn-POtc/s1600/hutchinsoniteE_2.jpg
Hutchinsonite is a sulfosalt mineral of thallium, arsenic and lead with formula (Tl,Pb)2As5S9. Hutchinsonite is a hazardous but dramatic mixture of thallium, lead and arsenic. Is a rare sulphosalt mineral that requires handling with great care as all three of its main components are poisonous particularly thallium as it can cause hair loss, serious illness and death. The three poisonous metals form a lethal mineral cocktail that should be handled only with great caution.
Galena
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hMXKOtQgnrw/VKe-7JCxR-I/AAAAAAAADfI/ZfmfNd7uB4s/s1600/Baryte-Galena-Pyrite-203072.jpg
Galena with baryte and pyrite
Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. Galena is the principle ore of lead, and forms glistening silver cubes with almost unnaturally perfect shapes. Although lead is normally extremely flexible, the sulfur content of galena makes it extraordinarily brittle and reactive to chemical treatment. It's not as bad as mercury, which will kill you immediately outright, but lead doesn't get flushed out of your system. It accumulates over the years, eventually reaching toxic levels. Once that happens both you and your kids pay the price, as lead toxicity is carcinogenic to you and is teratogenic (causing severe birth defects) to your offspring.
Asbestos
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EXpPrftmQ4k/VKfG_aEGJxI/AAAAAAAADfY/iviexApicxI/s1600/asbestos_piece.jpg
Asbestos is not one mineral but six defined separate minerals. One being a serpentine (chrysotile) and the other five being amphiboles (crocidolite, grunerite (amosite), tremolite, anthophyllite and actinolite). Unlike the other minerals in the top 10 deadliest. It was once widely used for a variety of commercial and industrial applications thanks to its strong, fire-resistant, and flexible nature—from ceiling tiles and roofing materials to flooring and thermal insulation.
Torbernite
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UdVoOlu1rnM/VKfIk7cZ57I/AAAAAAAADfk/qNhM1C-vUkY/s1600/cp07-20.jpg
Torbernite is the mineral from hell. The prism shaped green crystals form as secondary deposits in granitic rocks, and are composed of uranium. Formed through a complex reaction between phosphorous, copper, water and uranium, the stunning crystal displays have seduced many mineral collectors into taking a sample for a shelf collection. The mineral is radioactive and emits the cancer forming radon gas. This is one mineral you do not want on your display cabinet shelf.
Erionite
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vxruPFqOEpw/VKfJgDh_oqI/AAAAAAAADfs/0UHQWh-oFGI/s1600/Erionite-348877.jpg
Erionite (NaK2MgCa1.5)[Al8Si28]O72 28H2O) is a naturally occurring fibrous mineral that belongs to a group of minerals called zeolites. It usually is found in volcanic ash that has been altered by weathering and ground water. It looks a lot like asbestos minerals and harms humans much in the same way: mesothelioma. It's primarily an industry-specific disease—or at least it was, until we realized that it caused super-cancer and stopped mining the stuff in the late 1980s.
Cinnabar
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ivzuj1mTS-Y/VKfLIued_OI/AAAAAAAADf4/qoob_b4tpgE/s1600/cinnabar33451f.jpg
Cinnabar (mercury sulphide - HgS) is the single most toxic mineral to handle on earth. It is the world’s main source of mercury and has been mined since Neolithic times. However, when oxidized, this element will produce methyl mercury and dimethyl mercury, two toxic compounds that cause irreparable harm to the nervous systems of children. It is deadly in small concentrations and can be absorbed through the respiratory tract, intestines, or skin. Even more incredibly, some ancient medical practitioners believed cinnabar held healing powers, and prescribed it for certain conditions.
Phenacite
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z7fp3jXrjmA/VKfMkB8WPgI/AAAAAAAADgE/ROkRMOq5nu4/s1600/Phenakite-22977.jpg
Phenacite is a fairly rare nesosilicate mineral consisting of beryllium orthosilicate, Be2SiO4. Phenacite is mined both as a gemstone and for its valuable beryllium content. Beryllium was once a precursor for many ceramic materials, until people figured out that inhaling Beryllium dust caused berylliosis—aka chronic beryllium disease. It's like silicosis but much more severe and also chronic. You don't recover from CBD simply by minimizing your berrylium exposure. Once you have it, you have it for life. Basically what happens is the lungs become hyper-sensitive to berrylium, which causes an allergic reaction wherein the lungs from little nodules called granulomas. These granulomas make breathing extremely difficult and can go on to instigate diseases like tuberculosis.
Stibnite
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mY_HprmDYr0/VKfObbcMDcI/AAAAAAAADgQ/qId5kOOGMxI/s1600/Barite-Stibnite-tmu27c.jpg
Stibnite is a sulfide mineral with the formula Sb2S3. For that reason, the huge, shining metallic crystals of this unstable compound were once fashioned into magnificent eating utensils. But the sword shaped crystals bore the powers of death to those who used them. Handling of this metalloid mineral can cause poisoning.
Hydroxyapatite
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WXjVA_cQqnc/VKfQ0HP-X6I/AAAAAAAADgc/Ol23YmNUbFY/s1600/l0fjz9rc8lpsdfcmt5dm.jpg
Hydroxyapatite (Ca5(PO4)3(OH)2 is a naturally occurring mineral form of calcium apatite. The phosphorous in your garden fertilizer and fluoride in your tap water very likely came from a rock like this, called Apatite. These phosphate minerals come in three varieties, each respectively containing elevated levels of OH, F, or Cl ions—the Hydroxyapatite version being a major component of your tooth enamel and the Fluorapatite version constituting what's dumped into civic water supplies to prevent cavities. And while having strong teeth and bones is a good thing, exposure to Hydroxyapatite (either by mining or processing it) will deposit those same minerals on your heart valves, effectively petrifying them.