COST action TD1407: network on technology-critical elements (NOTICE)—from environmental processes to human health threats

Abstract

The current socio-economic, environmental and public health challenges that countries are facing clearly need common-defined strategies to inform and support our transition to a sustainable economy. Here, the technology-critical elements (which includes Ga, Ge, In, Te, Nb, Ta, Tl, the Platinum Group Elements and most of the rare-earth elements) are of great relevance in the development of emerging key technologies—including renewable energy, energy efficiency, electronics or the aerospace industry. In this context, the increasing use of technology-critical elements (TCEs) and associated environmental impacts (from mining to end-of-life waste products) is not restricted to a national level but covers most likely a global scale. Accordingly, the European COST Action TD1407: Network on Technology-Critical Elements (NOTICE)—from environmental processes to human health threats, has an overall objective for creating a network of scientists and practitioners interested in TCEs, from the evaluation of their environmental processes to understanding potential human health threats, with the aim of defining the current state of knowledge and gaps, proposing priority research lines/activities and acting as a platform for new collaborations and joint research projects. The Action is focused on three major scientific areas: (i) analytical chemistry, (ii) environmental biogeochemistry and (iii) human exposure and (eco)-toxicology.

Hypothetical Thresholds for Effects of Platinum Group Elements

“…al., 2017). The PGEs are among the technology-critical elements that are of great relevance in the development of emerging key technologies (Cobelo-Garcia et. al., 2015).…”

Preface: Special Issue on Environmental Toxicology of Trace Metals

“…The related activities have significantly altered the biogeochemical cycles of these elements, and consequently, their concentrations in the environment increased together with the concerns about their potential effects on the environment [11,12]. The necessity for the assessment of their environmental and toxicological aspects of TCEs, has been recognized as well as the need for the development and optimization of appropriate analytical tools to determining their concentrations and speciation in different environmental compartments [13]. To address this analytical challenge, van der Horst et al [14] proposed a voltammetric and spectroscopic analyses of PGEs in road dust and roadside soil, collected from roads that lead to a busy traffic light and intersection found outside Stellenbosch in the Western Cape (South Africa).…”

Spatial variability and sources of platinum in a contaminated harbor – tracing coastal urban inputs

“…Platinum (Pt) is a technology critical element (TCE) and an emerging contaminant of growing concern according to the evidence of anthropogenic disturbance on its global biogeochemical cycle (Rudnick and Gao 2003;Cobelo-García et al 2015). Among its specific properties, Pt is an excellent catalyst used in industrial processes, such as petroleum chemistry, but more importantly in vehicle catalytic converters to reduce gaseous pollutants in exhaust fumes.…”