[Jewelry making - Article 00085] - [Orchid] Fumes from Oven Heating Argentium Sterling

[Karen Dandrea]

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    I oven heated a piece of Argentium Sterling for an hour at 550
    degrees. It produced fumes that irritated our eyes and throut. I am
    concerned about the safety of the fumes. In researching this, I found
    some information from Cynthia Eid but it doesn't really address the
    risk of breathing in these fumes. Anyone have additional
    information? Karen 

    (From Cynthia Eid) 

    S A F E T Y 

        OK, if you are like me, you may be wondering, "what's the
        catch?" I know that I was quite concerned about the safety of
        germanium, and unwilling to just take the word of the guy in New
        Mexico that I was buying the silver from at the time. I looked up
        the MSDS on the web, and was appalled at the dangers listed for
        germanium. But then, I decided to look up copper and silver to
        compare. The even-longer lists of dangers for copper and silver
        gave me a different perspective about the list for germanium. 

        My recent research for this article led me to this statement on
        the web: "Germanium compounds appear not to be particularly
        toxic. Fumes from compounds such as germanium tetrachloride
        (GeCl4) irritate eyes and lungs." (Chlorine is used for refining
        germanium.) So, this led me to new worries: what should a
        silversmith do to avoid creation of this compound? Would this
        mean that one should avoid wearing Argentium [tm] in swimming
        pools treated with chlorine? Or be careful using chlorine bleach
        or cleaning compounds? Since salt is NaCl, would that mean that
        it would be dangerous in a saltshaker?! I consulted with Sam
        Davis, a chemical and mechanical engineer at Stern-Leach, who put
        my fears to rest. He says, "The surface of Argentium [tm]
        Sterling Silver has germanium which is oxidized to germanium
        oxide. The reason this occurs is because germanium is an "oxygen
        getter. " It has a high affinity for oxygen even at room
        temperature. Germanium oxide is a very stable compound and will
        not react with any form of chlorine (whether it be bleach, or
        chlorine gas, or aqueous chlorine, or table salt) at normal
        temperatures that a human would be exposed to." Germanium oxide
        reacts with chlorine around 1472 F/800 degC. Since this
        temperature is above the melting point of Argentium [tm]
        Sterling, it means that unless you are refining germanium, or
        melting an Argentium [tm] Sterling saltshaker full of salt, there
        is little risk for this toxic gas. Whew! I sure feel better now!
        I also found this interesting note: "Certain germanium compounds
        have a low mammalian toxicity, but a clear activity against
        certain bacteria, which makes them of interest as
        chemotherapeutic agents."(6) N a t u r a l l y, one should always
        use safe work habits when working with any metal. Wear a dust
        mask and safety glasses for grinding or polishing. Use good
        ventilation for soldering, grinding, and polishing. Don't eat or
        drink in the studio. Use common sense, and take precautions to
        take care of your health and safety. 

        It is interesting to note that using Argentium [tm] Sterling
        Silver could make many workplaces safer, since they will no
        longer need to use cyanide and/or nitric acids to deal with
        firescale if Argentium[tm] Sterling Silver is used rather than
        regular sterling silver
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