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EducationAN OVERVIEW OF MINERALS TOXICITY
10th Nov 2014 00:06 UTCcascaillou
10th Nov 2014 18:48 UTCRock Currier Expert
That's an impressive article. Do you have any statistics of how many collectors, curators or mineral dealers have been killed or harmed by the above listed minerals? Relative to collecting accidents, like falling rocks or broken bones, smashed thumbs, vehicle accidents getting to and from localities, shows etc?
11th Nov 2014 00:54 UTCcascaillou
Which doesn't make minerals pharmacology any less interesting to learn about, if showing any interest in phamacology, of course.
11th Nov 2014 18:09 UTCRock Currier Expert
11th Nov 2014 20:03 UTCcascaillou
13th Nov 2014 04:18 UTCRock Currier Expert
13th Nov 2014 23:27 UTCcascaillou
14th Nov 2014 21:01 UTCJohn Sobolewski 🌟 Expert
I do not know how many collectors have accidentally died or have gotten sick because of mineral toxicity, but that number must be miniscule compared to deaths and injuries caused by common things we do like driving a car, flying, swimming, or just walking on the street (especially if you are in a place like Chicago). So, if you want to be safe, by all means spend more time on your mineral collecting hobby and less time doing those other and so much more hazardous things. With only a little bit of common sense, mineral collecting is quite safe, even though some minerals are toxic.
NEWS FLASH! If you want to be safer, do not use contact lenses either. As I am writing this, the latest news report is that contact lenses are hazardous and cause eye infections resulting in over 1,000,000 hospital or doctor visits each year in the USA alone.
The bottom line is enjoy your mineral collecting but use common sense ( which seems to be in shorter and shorter supply these days) because some minerals can be dangerous if mishandled, but that danger is miniscule compared other routine things we do and take for granted each day. That context is missing and should be included. John S.
17th Nov 2014 00:02 UTCcascaillou
questions beginning collectors may have about mineral toxicity
Beginners are often asking about the toxicity of, say, some arsenic or mercury containing mineral they own. My approach of the question was to first outline that bioavailability is a key factor rather than the mere presence of the element, and then illustrated that point by putting in perspective different minerals for each element (on the basis of numerical values). Indeed there's no way around argumentation when writing a science article (rather than jumping straight to a conclusion), although I understand that too much data could be misleading to a beginner. This article isn't directly addressed to beginners anyway, I've rather been trying to set some scientific background to build our answers on, instead of providing beginners with unsupported opinions.
29th Mar 2017 19:25 UTCŁukasz Kruszewski Expert
1mSv per year - this is fine, but as far as I remember it was set to 3 for geologists (-;
31st Mar 2017 01:09 UTCcascaillou
http://www.mineralman.com/ebay2/montroydite1009140009.jpg
Mineral: Montroydite (on calcite)
Locality: Terlingua, Terlingua District, Brewster Co., Texas, USA
Specimen size: 5.76cm x 4.65cm x 2.72cm (that is a large aggregate for the species)
Source: mineralman.com
http://www.mineralman.com/mineralmanAC/arsenolite1230100023.jpg
Mineral: Arsenolite
Locality: Rauris valley, Hohe Tauern Mts, Salzburg, Austria
Specimen size: 6.74cm x 4.57cm x 3.92cm (with crystals to 5mm and compound crystals to nearly 1cm. These are large crystals for the species)
Source: mineralman.com
http://www.andyseibel.com/images/minerals/specimen_2770_photo_1.jpg
Mineral: Arsenolite
Locality: White Caps Mine, Manhattan District, Nye Co., Nevada, USA (Let's note that arsenolite from this mine was formed post-mining, subsequently to a mine fire)
Specimen size: 3.5 x 2.8 cm (with crystals to 4mm)
Source: andyseibel.com
1st Apr 2017 14:24 UTCAlysson Rowan Expert
That is an extremely well put together article - is there any chance of you putting that together as a formal paper that can be downloaded and cited easily? It would make life a lot easier to be able to refer people to a downloadable PDF. ;)
1st Apr 2017 14:27 UTCAlysson Rowan Expert
You might like to take a look at ...
Here be Dragons : The Care and Feeding of Radioactive Mineral Species
The new edition (Feb 2017) is right here:- Alysson Rowan's Published Papers and Stuff
1st Apr 2017 16:31 UTCcascaillou
For now, I'd prefer to keep my article as is, as it makes it easier to keep it updated regularly.
1st Apr 2017 17:46 UTCŁukasz Kruszewski Expert
1st Apr 2017 19:55 UTCAlysson Rowan Expert
2nd Apr 2017 16:10 UTCHarold Moritz 🌟 Expert
2nd Apr 2017 17:02 UTCAlysson Rowan Expert
The biggest risk from a collection in the home is to young children - who often put stuff in their mouths.
Part of the need is to educate new collectors to the need for hygeine and restricted access to minerals for small children (or people who suffer from pica) - a throat full of acicular crystals, a stomach full of orpiment or a lung full of fibrous chrysotile is hardly a good idea, after all.
2nd Apr 2017 17:17 UTCHarold Moritz 🌟 Expert
2nd Apr 2017 17:25 UTCAlysson Rowan Expert
11th Nov 2020 07:10 UTCJolyon Ralph Founder
One, academia.edu doesn't seem to work with my login however I try. Oh well.
Second, an academic article really needs a full author name. Its not something we can really cite as it is.
4th Dec 2020 16:22 UTCcascaillou
Article is also available (and downloadable) at
https://www.foro-minerales.com/forum/gen_imag/An_Overview_of_Minerals_Toxicity/An_Overview_of_Minerals_Toxicity.pdf
The final version of the article (updated December 19, 2020) is now available.
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Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2024, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: May 11, 2024 13:33:11