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Deadly Minerals

December 2, 2016

It’s easy to forget that some of the minerals found in the Earth can be extremely dangerous, despite the beautiful forms they can take.  These minerals can prove to be toxic and potentially deadly if mishandled. So I present to you seven minerals toxic minerals, so you can identify them if you ever (have the misfortune to) come across them:

Chalcanthite (CuSO4 • 5H2O):

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Image Credit: Sage Kemmerlin

            The stunningly blue mineral is a natural, water-soluble copper sulfate. It is commonly found in copper deposits in arid regions. If chalcanthite touches water it easily dissolves and become hazardous because of the copper it contains. If copper is ingested, the effects of this poisoning are gastrointestinal distress, destruction of red blood cells and liver damage (sounds fun right?). If the copper poisoning is severe, these symptoms can lead to death. Chalcanthite should never be taste tested or placed in natural waters. [1][2]

Hutchinsonite (TIPbAs5S9):

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Image Credit: Sage Kemmerlin

            Hutchinsonite is commonly found in ore deposits in the mountainous regions of Europe. Hutchinsonite is a mineral formed with a deadly mixture of arsenic, lead, and thallium; all three elements are toxic to humans. Thallium salts have been used in rat poison and insecticides so that alone should tell you not to mess with this mineral. If poisoned with thallium, you only have 72 hours to start treatment to avoid risk of permanent neurological damage. So maybe don’t lick it. [3]

Orpiment (As2S3):

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Image Credit: Sage Kemmerlin

            This orange-yellow, glistening mineral is made up of arsenic and sulfur and commonly grow near hydrothermal vents, fumaroles, and hot springs. If allowed to oxidize, the arsenic powder can be deadly to humans due to its neurotoxic and carcinogenic properties. Orpiment has a powerful garlic scent due to the arsenic. If you see a pretty orange mineral that smells like garlic, make like a vampire, and get out of there. [4]

Galena (PbS):

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Image Credit: Sage Kemmerlin

            Galena is the primary ore mineral of lead with a signature cubic structure. Any inhalation or ingestion of Galena’s dust will likely result in lead poisoning.  Lead can effect every organ system in the human body, but the nervous system is most sensitive to lead’s toxicity sometimes causing ataxia, comas, convulsions, even death. So if you want to avoid maladies such as ataxia and death, it’s best to not lick Galena or inhale any of its dust. [5][6]

Tobernite (Cu(UO2)2(PO4)2•12H2O):

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Image Credit: Sage Kemmerlin        

    Tobernite is a stunningly green prism shaped mineral, found in granitic rocks. Oh and just as a side note, torbernite is radioactive due to the uranium it contains. So if you prefer not to get cancer, avoid prolonged exposure and never ever ingest or inhale it. [7]

Cinnabar (HgS):

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Image Credit: Sage Kemmerlin

            This brilliantly red mineral is the main ore of mercury. It forms near volcanoes and sulfur deposits. It has historically been used as a coloring agent. Mercury is toxic to humans and mercury poisoning can cause tremors, muscle atrophy, and in extreme cases, respiratory failure and death. As before, don’t ingest or inhale any cinnabar. Don’t heat it in an unventilated environment, because it will emit toxic fumes.  So maybe don’t color your pottery with cinnabar (it’s not a good idea). [8][9]

References:

  1. http://www.mindat.org/min-959.html
  2. http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pip/factsheets/ard/documents/ard-ehp-9.pdf
  3. http://www.mindat.org/min-1954.html
  4. http://www.mindat.org/min-3021.html
  5. http://www.mindat.org/min-1641.html
  6. https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/csem.asp?csem=7&po=10
  7. http://www.mindat.org/min-3997.html
  8. http://www.mindat.org/min-1052.html
  9. http://www.medicinenet.com/mercury_poisoning/article.htm
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Sage Kemmerlin
About Author

Sage Kemmerlin – Sage is an Earth and Atmospheric Science major, specializing in geophysics, at Georgia Tech. In her spare time, she likes to paint and draw, go backpacking, watch various things on Netflix, make dumb jokes, and (when she has the money) travel.

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  Timothy Durham was convicted of rape when a test showed his DNA genotype matched the DNA recovered from the crime scene. Eye witnesses testified that Durham was in a different state at the time of the incident, but he wasn’t exonerated from his 3000 year sentence until follow up DNA analysis showed that the preliminary forensic analysis used in the trial was misinterpreted (Thomas et al.). DNA testing serves an invaluable part in our criminal justice system, but it comes with complications and bias that can lead to wrongful convictions and misinformed juries.  

Background:

Forensic genetics aims to identify the origin of a biological sample. It can be traced back to Karl Landsteiner who discovered human ABO blood groups. With blood groups, suspects could be eliminated based on their blood type. For example, if a suspect had type A blood and there was type B blood left at the scene by the perpetrator, the investigators could rule out the suspect. Unfortunately, the reverse didn’t work. If the suspect and perpetrator both had the same blood type, it can’t be concluded that the suspect was guilty. Blood identifiers evolved into 8 distinct categories which improved the ability to eliminate suspects, but could only conclude that (if the system matched) it might be the perpetrator or this person might be related to the perpetrator (Jobling and Gill). The field evolved in the 1980s with the discovery of Minisatellites, lines of repetitive DNA that don’t encode proteins. Minisatellite patterns in DNA create what we know today as the DNA fingerprint, and it has a much higher accuracy rate than previous methods (Augustyn et al.). Around the same time, a breakthrough for victims of sexual assault was discovered. In the case of assault, bodily fluids of both the victim and the assaulter can get mixed. A process called differential lysis was created which could selectively increase the concentration of sperm in a fluid sample thereby allowing for accurate DNA testing (Jobling and Gill). Forensics evolved to use single-locus probe testing after several years because of its ease of interpretation. It looked at specific minisatellites that had high variability between subjects. This was the first DNA-based method to be used in a criminal investigation. Two murder homicides from several years apart were connected using DNA evidence. The evidence was then used to exonerate an innocent man, and the guilty party was found when he tried to evade mandatory DNA testing for all men in the small town. His guilt was then reinforced when the DNA profiles matched, and he gave a confession (Jobling and Gill). Finding DNA at a crime scene doesn’t guarantee that you’ll find a murderer. There are issues with non-pure samples and limited samples that make DNA work difficult, and accreditation of facilities and new techniques and take time (Jobling and Gill).  

Subjectivity of DNA Interpretation:

In a 2009 publication, the National Academy of Science discusses the possibility for subjective influence in lab based forensics. The interpretation bias happens in complex cases where, for example, there could be a mixture of DNA. A study published in 2011 looked specifically at this issue. A gang rape happened in Georgia, and the mixture in DNA from the case was used to prosecute one suspect after another suspect took a plea bargain to testify against him. With DNA mixtures, there are three possible conclusions: suspect excluded, suspect cannot be excluded, and inconclusive. If the suspect is excluded, it means that there’s little to no possibility that his DNA is part of the sample. If the suspect cannot be excluded, it means that there’s a possibility that his DNA is part of the sample. In the trial, the DNA examiners who knew the context of the case concluded that the suspect being prosecuted could not be excluded. The 2011 study gave the DNA evidence from this case and the DNA profiles of the suspects to 17 forensic examiners. These examiners had no context of the case, and they all worked independently. Of the 17, only 1 came to the same conclusion (suspect cannot be excluded) as the examiners who knew the context of the case. Twelve of the 17 concluded that the suspect who was prosecuted and convicted had no relation to the DNA found in the sample. Not only does this show that subjectivity occurs due to the context of the case, but the 17 examiners came up with different findings based on their past experiences meaning that not all DNA analysis is objective. Some organizations like the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods say that quantitative statistical evidence should be presented with every categorical conclusion, but the US doesn’t require this (Dror and Hampikian).

False Positives:

There are two categories that cause wrongful identification in a DNA report: coincidental matches and false positives. Coincidental matches are DNA matches between two unrelated people. The probability of these matches is about 1 to 500,000 for white individuals and about 1 to 350,000 for black individuals. This small probability of coincidental matches makes people feel confident in DNA evidence. False positives, on the other hand, are matches between DNA and test DNA that result from issues in the forensics lab. There have been multiple cases of forensics labs accidentally switching victim and suspected rapist DNA which lead to convictions that were later overturned when the lab realized the error. There are also cases of misreading or misunderstanding a sample. In a case from 1993, a man was convicted of rape because someone interpreted a mixed sample of victim and perpetrator DNA as an individual sample. The conviction was again overturned. To prevent false convictions, retesting DNA is allowed, but it’s not an efficient solution. Many people are pushing for statistical information on the probability of false positives, so that the jurors can make accurate judgements based on DNA evidence (Thomas et al.).  

Conclusion:

DNA analysis is a useful tool for the criminal justice system, but subjectivity can be an issue in forensic testing. To combat wrongful convictions, there are organizations like The Innocence Project who use DNA testing to free the innocent, but reformed forensic testing standards should be put in place to prevent subjectivity and to ensure juries are correctly informed during trials. https://www.innocenceproject.org/    

Citation:

Augustyn , Adam, et al. “DNA Finerprinting.” Encyclopedia Britannica , 26 Apr. 2018, www.britannica.com/science/DNA-fingerprinting#ref153186. Dror, Itiel E., and Greg Hampikian. “Subjectivity and Bias in Forensic DNA Mixture Interpretation.” Science & Justice, vol. 51, no. 4, 2011, pp. 204–208., doi:10.1016/j.scijus.2011.08.004. Jobling, Mark A., and Peter Gill. “Encoded Evidence: DNA in Forensic Analysis.” Nature Reviews: Genetics, vol. 5, no. 10, Oct. 2004, pp. 739–751., doi:10.1038/nrg1455. Thompson, William C, et al. “How the Probability of a False Positive Affects the Value of DNA Evidence.” Journal of Forensic Sciences, vol. 48, no. 1, Jan. 2003, pp. 1–8., doi:10.1520/jfs2001171.