Galena is the principle ore of lead,
and forms glistening silver cubes with almost unnaturally perfect shapes. Although lead is normally
extremely flexible, the sulfur content of galena makes it extraordinarily
brittle and reactive to chemical treatment. Galena is capable of taking an
equally heavy toll on workers and amateur researchers who are exposed to it. Contact with specimens may lead to lead dust exposure,
while workers in mines face a high risk of poisoning from contact with the
mineral and the deadly dusts released through production. Once
extracted, the lead content from this mineral poses
environmental and health threats during treatment and extraction. Galena
has a cubic fracture, and if hit with a hammer, the crystal will shatter into
multiple smaller replicas of its original shape.
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