Why and how can gold can be harmful?
450491
Some people are allergic to gold.
68849
Gold is usally found in veins in mines.  This is after yearssssss of a couple different mixtures that could happen with elements and combounds that get really complicated an messy.  But, scientist have created a particle accelerator that shots atoms at one another to created a desired "pure" element, but this mechine is about the size of a football feild or so and the chamber that the bombarding happens in is a room as big as your average class room and it only produces just enough gold to little dust the tip of a sewing neddle.
46246
its a heavy metal and all heavy metals, in large doses are lethal to humans
1097636
You need a solution of gold sulfate or gold chloride to do it, but it has to be extremely pure, made with distilled/deionized water.  Remember to have your ring on the anion (the negative) and your gold source on the cation.
151158
Nothing Gold can Stay\n\nI think
318744
Pure gold is too soft for ordinary use and is hardened by alloying with silver, copper, nickel, and other metals have been used but primarily those three just mentioned.\n\nGold and its many alloys are most often used in jewelry, and many other uses to include gold teeth crowns, parts of your home computer to name a few of many many other uses.\n\nWhy? for various reasons to even changing the color of the gold. but some alloys used because of a desire to change densities...to have higher densities to be used in applications which require a high mass-to-volume ratio.\n\nSome metal alloys, such as those based on Aluminum, have low densities and are used in aerospace applications for fuel economy. \n\nMany metal alloys also have high fracture toughness, which means they can withstand impact and are durable... or at least more durable.\n\nAs noted earlier, with gold... alloys are used in order to make it less soft. I know that when I was in Africa, they mix a little copper in my gold dust to make my jewelry and thus making it a 23 karat gold piece instead of the PURE 24 karat gold which is very soft.
30618
Supply and demand. Indusrial consumption of gold has the greatest effect on market value of gold/precious metals.
682250
Bugger all; a few micrograms.   Gold can be hammered or plated thinner than just about any other material.   There's a pagoda in Myanmar, one of the poorest countries in the world, with a roof covered in gold leaf.   The cost of the gold in medicines, electronic components, space helmet visors and all its other useful applications is negligible compared with the cost of manufacture.
351002
Hi there,\n\nCheck out this website ... I didn't want to cut and paste the whole thing ... it's too large:\n\nhttp://www.answers.com/topic/e-gold?method=22
468237
The value of precious metals, as well as gems, are based on their rarity. It may seem like there is a lot of gold all around us, but the amount of gold available on the earth is finite. Other metals, like platinum or even rarer. Gold has always been precious because it does not tarnish or rust. \n  The world's economic system no longer relies on just precious metals. If it were, it would be a disaster. During WWII, dollars were issued not on what they were actually worth in gold, but what the were promised to be worth... and we know how governmental promises work. Then other governments issued their money based on what our money was worth... pretty soon all money was going to be worthless.  Now each country's economic system is based on all its assets, including industry and natural resources. That is why money values fluctuate so much every day.
1139217
since our body chemistry changes as we age...yes you are probably now allergic to the gold...I use to have to wear gold only, but now if I wear it...my body chemicals will turn the post orange
1134046
hey check this out:\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_mine
30032
It makes great photographs.\nTry Quackwatch for a real medical answer, somewhat biased away from alternative methods.\nAll metals are potentially dangerous to the body.\nAlso the NIH website has good references to any research done on any facet of health care.
491908
yes, it may be harmful
306594
The price of gold, like anything, is based on supply and demand.  In this case, many investors wanted a "safer" investment during the rocky times of the stock market, so they flocked to gold.  The government doesn't really affect the prices that much.
77388
pH in itself isn't harmful, it's just a measure of hydrogen in a solution. That is what's dangerous, the hydrogen ions from acid floating around.
942575
This skin reaction might  come on so suddenly eliminating  most of the causes of jewelry smudges and reactions on the skin.   This  “allergy” may be in-fact better called an extreme “sensitivity” to certain things.\n\nTHE PRIMARY CULPRIT MIGHT BE WHITE GOLD.  \nThe recipe for jewelry gold is generally pure gold, mixed with certain amounts of copper, silver and smaller amounts of other metals.  The recipe is melted into a uniform metal.  This is what makes the “karat” golds and determines the karat. For instance, 14 kt gold will have 14 parts pure gold and 10 parts made of other metals.  The total is 24 parts.  Think of pure gold as 24 karat and this makes sense.  Pure gold is mixed with other metals and the result is called an alloy, or mix of metals made to produce a metal made for a specific purpose.  \n\nGold is alloyed with other metals to make it strong enough for jewelry wear and to make the color desired.  Color?  Pure gold is very yellow.  White gold is an alloy or mix of metals with  the white colored metal NICKEL  added.  Some white gold uses another metal but most uses nickel.  Nickel makes the alloy a white color: The metal is “almost white” and sometimes a tinge of the yellow will show slightly.\n\nWhy is WHITE GOLD the likely culprit?  It is the nickel in the alloy.  Some people cannot wear white gold at all, since they are sensitive to nickel.  This is not uncommon at all.\n\n Generally, a sudden change in sensitivity indicates either a change in  the body chemistry, a change on what is “on” the skin(cosmetics, etc.) or some more outside environmental change.  Keep in mind, there is at least one solution that does work for many women even if it must be repeated ever so often.  \n\nBody chemistry is affected by medicines, diets, etc.  Medicines are the quickest to bring possible changes in body chemistry(and changes in perspiration, etc.) which may cause sensitivity to metals, especially the nickel in white gold.  Different hand lotions or cosmetics play a limited role in this, with the cosmetics being minute abrasives that actually will scrape away minute portions of the metal from jewelry.  Of course, that is generally a neck and ear problem, not on fingers!\n\nPhysical changes in hormones and just about anything can affect the skin, though skin oils and perspiration play a part.  \n\nExternal conditions which have changed or changes to the jewelry itself may play a part in the sensitivity dermatitis reaction.  For instance, salty air in a beach  or ocean type area can lead to a combination of chemical salts that form from the air and perspiration and moisture which can affect gold.  If these chemicals are not cleaned from the jewelry often, reactions can happen.  You will not “see” the chemicals and cleaning is recommended often.  A gentle wash with a dishwashing detergent(never use soap!!!) is sufficient.\n\nChlorine is a major problem with white gold.  This means swimming pools, hot tubs, having your hands and ring in bleaches, etc.   Chlorine actually reacts with the metals in the white gold mix.  This can cause prongs to break, cracks to form and quite possibly allow more contact with the skin of the “nickel” parts of the alloy.  You see, while most yellow gold does not react significantly to chlorine, nickel based white gold can actually be “corroded” in a microscopic way.   The microscopic damage might just allow more chemical nickel metal contact with the skin.