Chalcanthite - CuSO 4 ·5H 2 O

Natural Chalcanthite from Planet Mine, Buckskin Mts, La Paz Co., Arizona, USA

Photo: Tony Peterson







Stibnite - Sb 2 S 3

Stibnite and Calcite From Herja Mine, Chiuzbaia (Kisbanya), Baia Mare, Maramures Co., Romania.

Photo: Quebul Fine Minerals

Precious minerals make the modern world go 'round—they're used in everything from circuit boards to tableware. They're also some of the most toxic materials known to science, and excavating them has proved so dangerous over the years, some have been phased out of industrial production altogether. Listed below are the 10 most deadly minerals on earth. These rocks do not need to be thrown to hurt you!! Chalcanthite is a hydrated water-soluble copper sulfate. The mineral is used to ore copper, however it's necessary to keep the environment dry as the mineral can easily dissolve and recrystallize in a wet environment. It is water soluble and will crystallise out again from solution. The copper in this mineral is very bio-available and is toxic to plants and in high quantities toxic to humans. Stibnite is a toxic antimony sulfide mineral with an orthorhombic crystal lattice and a source of metalloid antimony. Stibnite paste has been used for thousands of years for cosmetics to darken eyebrows and lashes. The mineral was also used to make eating utensils, causing poisoning from antimony ingestion.