Can crystals be harmful?

Crystals can be harmful to humans, depending on whether they contain radioactive elements and the amount of these elements. Most crystals, especially crystal jewelry sold on the market, usually do not contain radioactive elements that are harmful to humans, so they are safe. Here are some key points:

 

Natural Radioactivity: A very small number of crystals may contain trace amounts of radioactive elements, such as uranium or thorium, but these amounts are usually very low and do not pose a risk to human health.

Artificial Radioactivity: Some gemstones may undergo artificial radiation treatment to change their color, which may produce radioactivity. However, these gemstones are usually left for a period of time before sale to ensure that the radioactivity is reduced to a safe level.

Copper Uraninite: This is a uranium-containing mineral, although it is not a crystal, but it can sometimes be found in granite. It has strong radioactivity and can release toxic radon gas, so it is harmful to humans.

Crystal Processing: Some crystals may undergo radiation treatment during processing. If the treated crystals are not properly safety tested, they may pose a risk to human health.

Individual Sensitivity: Some people may be sensitive to certain components in crystals, causing skin allergies, but this is unrelated to radioactivity.

How do you know if a stone is radioactive?

Understand the source of the crystal: Understand the origin and collection environment of the crystal, some specific geological environments may contain radioactive elements.

Observe the color and transparency of the crystal: Although color and transparency are not direct standards for judging radioactivity, the formation of some colors may be related to radioactive elements.

Use professional equipment for testing: Use professional equipment such as Geiger counters or low background α/β radioactivity detectors to measure the radioactivity and determine whether the crystal contains radioactive elements.

Check the treatment history of the crystal: Understand whether the crystal has undergone artificial radiation treatment, such as neutron or electron beam irradiation, which may make the crystal radioactive.

Note the physical properties of the crystal: The hardness, density, and other physical properties of the crystal can be used as a reference, but they are not a direct standard for judging radioactivity.

Appreciation: The appreciation of the crystal is also a part of its value, although it is unrelated to radioactivity, but it can be used as a reference for choosing a crystal.

Are any crystals radioactive?

In nature, most crystals have very low radioactivity and usually do not pose a risk to human health. However, some types of crystals may contain trace amounts of radioactive elements, mainly including:

Amethyst: Amethyst contains trace amounts of iron. When heated or exposed to sunlight, the color center in amethyst may be damaged, causing discoloration. The color of amethyst ranges from light purple to dark purple, and can have varying degrees of brown, red, and blue.

Smoky Quartz: Due to the substitution of Al3+ for Si4+ in the composition, smoky quartz produces an [AlO4]4- color center after irradiation, thus presenting a smoky yellow to dark brown color.

 

Green Crystal: The color formation of green crystal is related to Fe2+. There is almost no natural green crystal on the market. It is usually an intermediate product formed during the process of heating amethyst into yellow crystal.

 

Zircon: Zircon may contain some uranium and thorium elements during growth, thus having a certain radioactivity. However, zircon jewelry on the regular market is treated before sale to ensure that its radioactivity is within a safe range.

 

Copper Uraninite: This is a uranium-containing mineral, although it is not a crystal, but it can often be found in granite. It has a bright emerald green color, but it has strong radioactivity and can release toxic radon gas.

 

Natural Low-Type Zircon: Low-type zircon is the most likely to contain radioactivity. Zircon with colors such as green, gray-yellow, and brown mostly belongs to low-type zircon. However, low-type zircon is not used in regular jewelry making.

 

Reference

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