95% of agate bracelets on market processed with toxic chemicals  

市面上玛瑙五颜六色 业内:九成玛瑙手镯染色(图)

在厦门市东埔村，色彩艳丽的玛瑙手镯竟然是灰白毛料加工而成。想要什么颜色，都可以依据不同的化学药液和浸泡工序完成。检测显示，这种染色玛瑙的重金属含量普遍高，在人体蓄积具有致癌性，并可能诱发基因突变！ [查看全文]

(ECNS)-- Over 95 percent of agate bracelets sold around China are being processed with highly toxic chemicals that can lead to cancer in wearers, cntv.cn reported on Wednesday.

An unannounced visit to Dongpu county in Xiamen, Fujian province, found the illegal activity has been going on as a regular method to dye the white-colored raw materials for the jewelry.

As China's largest distribution center of raw materials for agate jewelry, the county is a major producer of the jewelry. The number of bracelets produced in the region can reach 200 million every year, which means that nearly all crystal bracelets sold around the country are produced in the county.

A local jewelry processor said that over 95 percent of bracelets made in the county are processed with chemicals, including nitrate of potash, sodium nitrate, and silver nitrate, as a way to add color and shine to the jewelry.

Soaked in the corrosive chemical solvents, raw materials can be dyed, the processor added.

Tests show that the heavy metal content in the bracelets include carcinogens that may cause gene mutation after they are absorbed and stored in the human body.

Toxic chemicals are also being applied to color agate by processors in other regions. In Fuxin county of Liaoning province, well water turned green after chemicals used for jewelry processing were dumped.