Is gold a health risk

Answer 1

Elemental (metallic) gold is effectively inert to any conditions it might encounter in your body; if you eat a lump of gold, it will come out the other end more or less unchanged. About the only way elemental gold could be considered a health risk is if a large chunk of it fell on you, or if you ate a big enough piece to cause purely mechanical problems.

Gold salts are a different story; a lot of them are toxic (generally to the kidneys and/or liver). There are a couple of gold salts that have anti-inflammatory properties and are sometimes used for treatment of conditions like rheumatoid Arthritis.