Re: I've heard wearing golden rings ,... may cause cancer for men.is it right?

Question from Iran:

"I've heard wearing golden rings may cause cancer for men. Is it right?"

I've never even heard of this rumor, but the MadSci administrator claims that this is a common belief in some parts of the world.

A search of the biomedical literature finds no evidence that gold causes cancer. If fact, I can find no evidence that metallic gold has much of any biological activity at all.

The closest I can come to finding any connection is:

• Gold miners may have an increased risk of lung cancer, but this is related to increased silica exposure.
• There was a story in circulation in 1999 that some gold sold in the US came from recycling of radioactive wastes and was mildly radioactive. I cannot verify that there was any truth to that story.
• Some gold compounds (but not metallic gold) may have some anti-cancer activity.