FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Rick Roan]

I want to ask if the green fluorescent dots found on the side of this Hyalite specimen could possibly be due to the encapsulation of some secondary uranium mineral? I remember testing this specimen with my Geiger counter and it didn't show any anomalies. However, after cutting it, I measured a slightly higher dose than background radiation on the cut surface. Now I'm concerned whether this mineral might be associated with some secondary uranium mineral? Although the specimen is lost, I have retained some photos taken at the time, and I found a green fluorescent dot area underneath in one of the photos. I am very worried if this is some kind of secondary uranium mineral. If it is, should I be concerned about my previous experience of cutting it?

[James Catmur]

See this thread on MinDat

https://www.mindat.org/mesg-659301.html

Should we close this one too?

[Rick Roan]

Hello, sir. This is my new inquiry. I just want to know if this mineral could possibly be associated with any secondary uranium minerals. I'm not sure, so I'd like to seek some assistance

[alfredo]

The green fluorescence of hyalite opal is caused by extremely tiny quantities of uranyl ions, not enough to create any harmful level of radioactivity. Usually no discrete particles of any secondary uranium minerals are visible (although they can be - but it's not common). Do you see any secondary uranium minerals under the microscope? If not, there probably aren't any. Uranyl fluorescence alone doesn't indicate that secondary uranium minerals are present.

[Rick Roan]

Because the specimen has been lost, I am unable to observe it again. However, I remember not finding any secondary uranium minerals, as their colors are usually vivid. But I did notice a slightly brighter spot at the bottom in a photo I took earlier, which makes me quite uneasy."

[Rick Roan]

"I'm not sure if the brighter spot at the bottom could be some kind of secondary uranium ore. Even if it is, would cutting such a small volume of mineral have any impact on the environment and health?

[Matt_Zukowski]

You seem to be worried that you may have been exposed to something unhealthy by cutting one specimen of hyalite opal. I certainly wouldn't worry about it, and since the specimen is gone and you have no other information i don't see how we could help you more.

[Rick Roan]

Before cutting this mineral, I tested it with a Geiger counter, and it showed normal readings, so I proceeded with the cutting. Even after cutting, I don’t remember detecting higher readings, according to my memory. Recently, I measured this specimen again with my Geiger counter by placing the cut surface of the hyalite on the Geiger tube, and I got a reading of 0.8 μSv/h. I now know that this value is not dangerous. However, my current concern is whether this hyalite is associated with some secondary uranium minerals. Although, to my recollection, I did not find any characteristics of secondary uranium minerals, I found some UV photos I took of this hyalite previously, and I noticed a bright green fluorescent spot at the bottom of the hyalite. So, my first question is whether this strongly fluorescent area could be associated with some uranium mineral. Additionally, if it is, would such a small amount of secondary uranium mineral have any effect?

[alfredo]

If you are cutting minerals, you should protect your health with very good dust control. Dust getting into your lungs is bad, and not just radioactive mineral dust, ANY kind of dust. Even common stuff like quartz dust. So do the cutting wet, so you get mud instead of dust, and clean it up before it dries out. Do the work outdoors, wear a respirator, take a shower afterwards to get dust out of your hair... If these precautions are too much bother, then you should probably get a different hobby and not be cutting stones.