Copper lapidary material toxicity
Aug 8, 2014 17:58:40 GMT -5
blackout5783, rockjunquie, and 2 more like this
Post by Deleted on Aug 8, 2014 17:58:40 GMT -5
In another thread we had a discussion about the toxicity of copper ores in lapidary materials. I wondered and did some homework.
Arguably the most common copper ore used in lapidary is Malachite. Copper Carbonate Hydroxide
So, I googled for the material safety data sheet.
Acut poisoning is reported as a lethal dose for 50% of the test subjects. usually in rats.
Here is malachite's acute toxicity
1.35 grams per kilogram of rat. Humans tend to have similar LD50, this explains the use of rats and not humans. So for a direct extrapolation a 60kg (human?) would need to eat 81 grams of malachite. I doubt anybody is going to eat ENTIRE slabs of malachite!
BUT!!
There are other forms of poisoning. Chronic exposure can also cause problems. Chronic exposure effects are described as
Not pleasant. This is for long term repeated exposure. We don't do that. Short term intermittent exposure is definitely not covered in the MSDS.
This MSDS is from a ceramics hobby related company. They describe health effects of this chemical to be a level 2, moderate.
HAZARD RATINGS:
4 = severe,
3 = serious,
2 = moderate,
1 = slight,
0 = minimal
E= Safety glasses, gloves, dust respirator
So, there you have it. Malachite is not the devil is it made out to be. Caution is required. YES!! Fear? Not so much.
If anybody cares I will add other copper ores to this thread.
Arguably the most common copper ore used in lapidary is Malachite. Copper Carbonate Hydroxide
So, I googled for the material safety data sheet.
Acut poisoning is reported as a lethal dose for 50% of the test subjects. usually in rats.
Here is malachite's acute toxicity
Acute Toxicity - Oral LD50 (rat): 1350 mg/kg
1.35 grams per kilogram of rat. Humans tend to have similar LD50, this explains the use of rats and not humans. So for a direct extrapolation a 60kg (human?) would need to eat 81 grams of malachite. I doubt anybody is going to eat ENTIRE slabs of malachite!
BUT!!
There are other forms of poisoning. Chronic exposure can also cause problems. Chronic exposure effects are described as
Prolonged or repeated skin exposure may cause dermatitis. Prolonged or repeated exposure to dusts of copper salts may cause discoloration of the skin or hair, blood and liver damage, ulceration and perforation of the nasal septum, runny nose, metallic taste, atrophic changes and irritation of the mucous membranes, unconsciousness or death. Chronic copper poisoning is characterized by hepatic cirrhosis, brain damage and demyelination, kidney defects and copper deposit on in the cornea as demonstrated via Wilson's disease.
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Not pleasant. This is for long term repeated exposure. We don't do that. Short term intermittent exposure is definitely not covered in the MSDS.
This MSDS is from a ceramics hobby related company. They describe health effects of this chemical to be a level 2, moderate.
HAZARD RATINGS:
4 = severe,
3 = serious,
2 = moderate,
1 = slight,
0 = minimal
E= Safety glasses, gloves, dust respirator
So, there you have it. Malachite is not the devil is it made out to be. Caution is required. YES!! Fear? Not so much.
If anybody cares I will add other copper ores to this thread.