Under normal circumstances, exposure to rare earths does not pose a direct threat to human health. An appropriate amount of rare earths can also have the following effects on the human body: ① anticoagulant effect; ② Burn treatment; ③ Anti inflammatory and bactericidal effects; ④ Hypoglycemic effect; ⑤ Anticancer effect; ⑥ Prevent or delay the formation of atherosclerosis; ⑦ Participate in immune processes and other functions.
However, there are also relevant reports confirming that rare earth elements are non essential trace elements for the human body, and long-term low-dose exposure or intake may have adverse consequences on human health or metabolism. Therefore, experts began to study what is the “safe dose” for human exposure to rare earths? A researcher has proposed that for an adult weighing 60 kilograms, the daily intake of rare earths from food should not exceed 36 milligrams; However, facts indicate that when the intake of rare earths by adult residents in the heavy rare earth and light rare earth regions is 6.7 mg/day and 6.0 mg/day, local residents are suspected of experiencing abnormalities in central nervous system detection indicators. The more serious consequences occurred in the Baiyun Obo mining area, where the villagers had a high proportion of cancer, and the sheep’s wool was unsightly. Some sheep had double teeth inside and outside.
Foreign countries are no exception. In 2011, the news that the Bukit Merah mine in Malaysia spent $100 million on aftermath work also caused a sensation. It was precisely because there had been no case of leukemia in nearby villages for many years, but the establishment of rare earth mines caused residents to have congenital defects and 8 white blood disease patients, of which 7 died. The reason for this is that a large amount of nuclear radiation contaminated materials have been brought to the vicinity of mines, affecting people’s living environment and thus affecting human health.
Post time: May-24-2023