Question regarding Turface black

So I purchased a nearly full bag of Turface black. I go to wash it prior to putting it in to my 75 gal tank. To my surprise the smell of the wet Turface has a strong chemical odor! The water was very very black even after 15 minutes of washing... I also noticed a metallic sheen to the water. The water was similar to that of used motor oil, just not as thick...

I'm fairly certain the bag was not tampered with or contaminated...

Is this normal? I've never used Turface before and I'm now very hesitant to...