Image are courtesy of
The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom at
www.mineral.net
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This page has been put together by a college student in a mineralogy course taught at Emporia State University. I am by no expert in mineralogy, but the page was designed to expand your knowledge on fluorite. I hope you find this page interesting and informative.
Fluorite is a mineral that often occurs in flawless crystals and beautiful colors. In addition to its beauty, it has practical purposes also. Some people may think of fluorite as the substance included in toothpaste and drinking water, which is purported to be a helping agent in preventing cavities. This idea of preventing cavities is just one of many things that fluorite has been known to do for humanity. Along with helping humanity the mineral fluorite can cause a variety of health problems. In order to have a better understanding of the mineral fluorite, this webpage covers the mineral's chemical and physical properties, health risks and benefits, as well as some industrial uses and environmental issues facing the industries that use the mineral. Finally, a brief summary of the history and myths associated with fluorite will be given.
Fluoride is still used in the drinking water
of some major and minor cities across the U.S. as a prevention of tooth
decay. This addition of fluoride to drinking water became more prevalent
after WWII, encouraged by U.S. health leaders. They felt that a low dose of
fluoride was safe for people.
Some government researchers, civilian
researchers, and health professionals have concluded that supplying the
drinking water with fluoride could be harmful to children. After
the development of the atomic bomb, fluoride was known to be used
as a harmful chemical. Fluoride rapidly emerged as the leading chemical
health hazard of the United States atomic bomb program. This was
also known to be harmful to the workers and near by communities.
Many of the documents that were concealed during the cold war time are
now surfacing and making everyone aware of the harmfulness of this mineral.
Documents, such as Dupont's deep water disaster and the Manhattan
project, contained information about the testing of
fluoride water and other environmental areas. After the release of such documents many Americans started
to file claims against the government and Dupont for contamination of the water supply. When lower dose ranges were found not to be hazardous, the lawsuits were alleviated and the bomb and other testing programs were closed.
Medical researchers have found out that uranium hexafluoride
could have rather severe effect on the central nervous system and that it was the
fluoride component of the uranium hexafluoride that was the cause of such effects
in the nervous system. Recent discoveries of the effect of fluoride on
children have shown that there is a possibility that fluoride might cause
lower IQ's in children.
Image is courtesy of
The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom
at
www.mineral.net
Most of the fluorite mined in the world is used as a flux in the manufacturing of steel and other metals to eliminate impurities. There is large demand for fluorite in the optics field and to meet the demand fluorite is made synthetically. Ornanmental objects are made of fluorite, as it is easily carved because of the softness of the mineral. Although fluorite's softness is good for sculpting, this property prevents it from becoming a commonly faceted gemstone. In the middle to late 20th century, fluorite was in the water supply as prevention of tooth decay and now it can be found in toothpaste and other dental products.
Information on how to distinguish fluorite from similar minerals is shown below.
Calcite is a little softer (3) and a different crystal system/form.
Quartz is much harder (7) and has no cleavage.
Apatite is slightly harder (5) and a different crystal system/form.
Halite is softer (2-2.5) with a salty taste.
The most striking features of fluorite include its perfect cleavage,
hardness, and crystal habit/form. Red and green fluorite become phosphorescent if heated
higher than 212 degrees F (100 degrees C).
References
Frye, K. (Ed.). Encyclopedia of mineralogy.
Stroudsburg, PA: Hutchinson Ross Publishing Co.
Roberts,W.L., Rapp, Jr., G.R., &
Weber, J. (1974). Encyclopedia of minerals. NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold Publishing
Co.
Bryson, C., and Griffiths, J. (12/01/97).
Earth Island Journal. NY: EBSCO Publishing.
The Mineral Galleries (Retrieved February 11, 2001). Fluorite, The Most Colorful Mineral in the World. World Wide Web URL: http://mineral.galleries.com/minerals/halides/fluorite/fluorite.htm
The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom. (Retrieved March 3, 2001). Fluorite. World Wide Web URL: http://www.minerals.net/mineral/halides/fluorite/fluorite.htm
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Created on 2/26/01. Last update on 9/15/05.
copyright 2001 © Kevin Barnett All rights reserved.