I was only referring to the title of the thread as being a bit...

I was only referring to the title of the thread as being a bit misleading in calling synthetic graphite toxic. I'd like this thread to fade away, so this is probably my last comment on here.

Synthetic: comes from coke, which comes from coal or petroleum industry. Thereafter, it's a reasonably clean process, depending on the tech used. From the time the initial material is extracted from the earth, to the point is becomes 99.5+% pure graphite, a lot of pollution and toxic material is generated.

Natural: mined out of the ground, along with the usual pollution that comes from mining, however, less pollution than what it takes to create coke. This gives 95% graphite. To get it to 99.5+%, it has to be refined further. This process usually uses acids to remove impurities, then the acid is washed out with water, then the graphite is dried. This process pollutes.

So. both Syn and Nat are both toxic and polluting. Comparing the environmental impact of the two is tricky and one can make each look better than the other by ignoring certain parts of the process and claiming that the pollution either happened upstream or happens downstream from the company who is selling the product.

Here is a bit of info from today's announcement by Syrah (Natural graphite producer, whose shares I hold as well).