Plasma agate question

[rocklicker]

Does anyone know if plasma agate is in any way toxic? I know it is found in an area with naturally occuring asbostos. I am talking about tumbled stones.

I am putting together an assortment of tumbled stones for kids and was thinking of including plasma agate because of its interesting green patterns. I don't want to include any possible toxic rocks.
Thanks,
Steve

[deb193redux]

Steve, I think like the tiles, it is only toxic if dust is generated. BUt, wait for some other opinions.

[Sabre52]

Yeah, I'd agree with Daniel. I heard the main problem is with the grinding or sanding process where dust is being generated. The one disclaimer I'd add is there is a lot of mercury in that region too. New Indra, nearby is a mercury mining area. If you see any red cinnabar in the plasma agate, I'd worry a bit more.....Mel

[highplainsdrifter]

I'm not aware of any toxicity from this agate. That doesn't mean it isn't. When in doubt, err on the cautious side. The green could be from copper or chromium and in that case would not be toxic to a handler.

Malachite is a green copper based mineral and is relatively safe to handle, however, grinding it releases copper dust, which can be harmful.

[docharber]

i recently ordered some plasma from Jamie and ROdney and she sent me a note explaining there may be Mercury insome of the plasma. She explained that even with her Cinnabar, cutting isn't much of a toxic hazard "with a wet saw". I had no ides there was mercury in the stuff. i know the sulfide (cinnabar) isn't very bioavailable but is fheated it will decompose at fairly low temperatures to mercury. In Mercury mining areas, where you find cinnabar, as in Almaden, Spain, you find native mercury, too. The vapors could conceivably be harmful and the miners are on a strict rotation because of this.
I have read on plasma and the reference I have explains that plasma is like bloodstone in composition, but the hematite that appears red in bloodstone is less well oxidized in plasma, resulting in yellows and browns (limonite). I thought the ground color was also due to iron compounds, not copper. I'm not sure about that, though. If there were cinnabar in the stuff, it would be hard to distinguish from hematite.

Mark H.

[DeanW]

The cinnabar in Plasma is bright red. Bright bright red. Usually occurs as moss-like or dendrite-like stringers. I've never heard about there being health risks directly associated with handling Plasma Agate, only cutting/polishing it (as has been mentioned by others above).

[goatgrinder]

The father of modern toxicology: Paracelsus (/ˌpærəˈsɛlsəs/; 1493/4[1] – 24 September 1541), born Theophrastus von Hohenheim (full name Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim[10]), was a Swiss[11] physician, alchemist, and astrologer of the German Renaissance.[12
"All things are toxic, the dose makes the poison"