Arsenic, Orpiment and other nasties?

[kurra]

Hi, not sure if this is the right spot for this question and please move it if you feel it is under the wrong topic.

The area I have been detecting in is known to contain gold, silver, arsenic...... and so on. My question is, I know they come in crystal form, but can arsenic, orpiment (arsenic sulfur) come in a powdered form throughout the rock, possibly after oxidization? I have found some rocks that seem to have a very vibrant scarlet type red and yellow through them and was concerned. I wouldn't know what to look for, for my own safety. They probably only contain Iron and yellow clay and I guess it is better to er on the side of caution and wear gloves.

Does anyone have any photo's of rocks we should be wary of. I have looked it up on a google search and there are a couple of rocks that look similar to the ones I have, but most are in crystal form.

Also, what is the difference between pyrite and asenopyrite?

Do we have a topic or a group of photo's that show rocks to avoid?

Sorry for all the questions, but I have no idea what to look for. I was also wondering whether most gold deposit come with mos/somet of these dangerous minerals?

thanks,K

 

[LONEWOLF]

Try here... a good start. You can Google the Names also but, use 'In Australia' in your search.. I think this is in the Gemstones and Minerals Section... I have some 'Bad' ones here but I can't give you pics.... Haven't got a good camera... I will see about borrowing one... :Y ..... And Yes Most are associated with Gold in one way or another and Some are too costly to extract the Gold out of it for you and me to do at home (Arsenopyrite is one)... Watch out for a White, yellow or greenish Powder on Rocks... That's more than likely Arsenic.... And it Smells like Garlic or an Acid smell too... I wash my hands after Handling any rocks... :/

https://www.australianmining.com.au/features/top-ten-deadly-rocks-and-minerals/

LW...

 

[BobDigger]

There's a good explanation of the health aspect of this here:

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/arsenic-mine-tailings-and-health

There's also a 2005 Victoria University report that was done by Costa Diomides on soils - it's referenced in another Victorian study but I don't have the link (sorry).

A more Western Australia specific perspective is found in this paper which is often cited in more recent articles on the subject

http://users.monash.edu.au/~weinberg/PDF_Papers/Morey_etal_Econ Geol 2008.pdf

Hope this helps.

 

[kurra]

Try here... a good start. You can Google the Names also but, use 'In Australia' in your search.. I think this is in the Gemstones and Minerals Section... I have some 'Bad' ones here but I can't give you pics.... Haven't got a good camera... I will see about borrowing one... :Y ..... And Yes Most are associated with Gold in one way or another and Some are too costly to extract the Gold out of it for you and me to do at home (Arsenopyrite is one)... Watch out for a White, yellow or greenish Powder on Rocks... That's more than likely Arsenic.... And it Smells like Garlic or an Acid smell too... I wash my hands after Handling any rocks... :/

https://www.australianmining.com.au/features/top-ten-deadly-rocks-and-minerals/

LW...

Hi LW, thanks for the information. I am a bit worried about the yellow powder. I have felt a bit ill after handling the rocks a couple of times, once when I gave them
a scrub and another time after handling them in the bush. Probably only a coincidence but it got me thinking knowing Arsenic is in the area. I will be more careful from now on.

If you can post some photo's for me that will be great, but no pressure, K.

 

[kurra]

There's a good explanation of the health aspect of this here:

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/arsenic-mine-tailings-and-health

There's also a 2005 Victoria University report that was done by Costa Diomides on soils - it's referenced in another Victorian study but I don't have the link (sorry).

A more Western Australia specific perspective is found in this paper which is often cited in more recent articles on the subject

http://users.monash.edu.au/~weinberg/PDF_Papers/Morey_etal_Econ Geol 2008.pdf

Hope this helps.

Good articles BobDigger, plenty of reading there. It will keep me busy for a while. :Y:

Thanks for posting them, K.

 

[LONEWOLF]

Mmmm kurra, sounds like you got sick from cleaning And handling them... Can easily happen... Especially Arsenopyrite and Galena ... and both will make the water yellow... Make sure you don.t put your fingers in or near your mouth . And if you are a smoker keep your fingers away.....
Some of my stuff is in Sealed Display boxes and after a while they Melt the Perspex and send it white. :/ :N:

LW...

 

[kurra]

Okay, so gloves are a must around old tailings, the same as when you are digging in your home garden.

We carry about 5 litres of water with us + soap and I never eat without washing my hands but I read a small amount can be absorbed through dermal absorption and of course inhalation. Thinking it probably was just a coincidence I was feeling ill but I now know where I need to be careful. We have lots of homes scattered around and throughout our old mine sites in the area and I haven't heard of anyone having health problems because of this.

There are lots of beautiful crystals that can be found. I guess we all just need to be educated in what we are in contact with even in our every day life. I am a Laboratory Technician and I come in contact with lots of nastie's. Probably why I wanted to know what I was dealing with, it's in my nature.

Thanks LW, this thread has helped to clear up a lot of questions I had and I am now feeling confident fossicking, cheers, K.

 

[LONEWOLF]

Litmus Test Kit is your best bet.... :Y:

LW...

 

[user 4386]

An awful lot of sensationalist and inaccurate info in one of these url's. https://www.australianmining.com.au/fea -minerals/ A number of these minerals many geologists don't see in half a century of work, or not in big and pure lumps (I have never seen the thallium mineral - incredibly rare - and coloradoite only in museums). Arsenic wont be a white or green powder (might be confusion with arsenic green that used to be a poisonous dye used in wall-paper - may have killed Napoleon). Some of these things are probably unlikely to be toxic simply because they are not soluble in your sweat etc., eg stibnite, arsenopyrite - arsenopyrite will not dissolve even in most concentrated acids (anything at surface would dissolve in the next rainstorm in many cases and not stay around, but different if you crack rocks or are in mine tunnels). I'd be a bit wary of handling a lot of orpiment or realgar. but even doubt it with them or cinnabar (the Spanish mines had native mercury as well and miners breathed in the mercury vapour, which probably did the most damage, but it was definitely a dangerously unhealthy place to work - George Bass of Bass and Flinders whale-boat fame fame probably died in the mercury mines when captured by the Spanish). Mine tailings are not good - can have metallic mercury, metal cyanide compounds and arsenic, but usually obvious that they are tailings and not really "minerals" in a sense that prospector would find them - I would not buy a house down-wind of a tailings dump. Working in a mine is more likely to result in poisoning in the long term than the average prospector or mineral collector - due to daily, high-concentration exposure (although usually much worse in the smelter, eg cadmium in zinc smelters). Chalcanthite is the common agricultural material copper sulphate - toxic at high concentrations but "Copper sulfate is only moderately toxic upon acute oral exposure" - I have seen it in old copper mine tunnels (once).

Gloves are always a good idea anyway with any chemical (even if just latex disposables), and I would not put minerals in your mouth - but I doubt that you have felt sick from handling minerals (I haven't in more than half a century). If it worries you too much you possibly need a different hobby