Toxic Stones and Minerals: Precautions to Know Before Handling Them

Setting the scene: a real risk, but often misplaced

Many articles alarm readers by listing “dangerous stones”. Serious sources are more nuanced: very few minerals are dangerous by simple contact. The danger comes mainly from three situations: breathing in dust (when sawing, sanding, cutting or breaking a stone), swallowing the stone or its powder, and drinking the water in which a stone has been soaking. A small crystal sitting on a shelf is not a danger; it becomes one in the hands of a child who puts it in the mouth or in an elixir.

Lists differ from one source to another, and several sales and wellness sites contradict each other. This page therefore remains cautious and sticks to basic mineralogical facts. It does not replace the advice of a toxicologist or a health professional.

The mineral families to know

The special case of tiger’s eye and serpentine

Tiger’s eye and hawk’s eye are fibrous quartzes which, originally, contained crocidolite, a fibrous amphibole classed as asbestos. Specialists consider the polished stone safe to wear, as the fibres are trapped within the quartz; it is cutting, sawing and sanding that can release dust. Serpentine is a group of minerals: most varieties are harmless, but one fibrous variety, chrysotile, is asbestos. Asbestos has been banned in France since 1997, and decorative stones should be kept intact.

Simple, effective precautions

1. Wash your hands after prolonged handling of raw minerals or of a specimen from the list above, and before eating.
2. Never put a stone in your mouth, even a polished one, and keep stones out of reach of children and animals.
3. Do not create dust: no sanding or sawing at home, and no stone ground into powder for “a ritual”.
4. Do not put them in drinking water: see why we advise against crystal elixirs.
5. Do not burn them: burning sulphur gives off an irritant gas, and other minerals release fumes.
6. Label sensitive pieces and store them apart, in a closed box (see storing your collection).
7. To dispose of them, take them to a recycling centre rather than the household bin or the garden.

And if something goes wrong?

If a child or an animal has swallowed a stone, or if a person feels unwell after breathing in dust or drinking water in which a mineral was soaking, do not induce vomiting and call without delay 15 (SAMU, in France), 112 (emergency number throughout the European Union) or the poison control centre in your region. Give the name of the stone if you know it. For an animal, contact a veterinarian.

One final point: lithotherapy has no demonstrated effect on health. There is therefore never a reason to take a risk for a stone.

Frequently asked questions

Also read

The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Care and safety for stones.