95% of agate bracelets on market processed with toxic chemicals  

市面上瑪瑙五顏六色 業內:九成瑪瑙手鐲染色(圖)

在廈門市東埔村，色彩艷麗的瑪瑙手鐲竟然是灰白毛料加工而成。想要什么顏色，都可以依據不同的化學藥液和浸泡工序完成。檢測顯示，這種染色瑪瑙的重金屬含量普遍高，在人體蓄積具有致癌性，并可能誘發基因突變！ [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.